What is the difference between a llama and an alpaca?
Llamas are larger than alpacas with longer banana shaped ears, a straight back and higher tailset. Llamas are usually a two-coated animal ie. a soft down undercoat protected by a coarser hair type fibre called guard hair. This guard hair protects the under fibre from rain and dirt. The principal and most important difference is the nature of the llama. Llamas have been used as meat, fibre and packing animals for over 6,000 years. Bad characteristics such as spitting and kicking etc. have generally been culled out of the llama over the centuries. If a llama spat on a Monday whilst being packed he would probably have been eaten on the Friday! As alpacas have only ever been used as fibre animals this culling has not happened. Alpacas were only brought in once a year and shorn therefore they did not have as close a relationship with humans as llamas.
The physical differences are the most obvious. The easiest difference to spot is the ears. Llamas have long banana-shaped ears while alpacas have shorter spear-shaped ears. The Llama’s back is long and straight with the tail set high whereas the back of an Alpaca appears shorter and tends to round down at the rump with the tail set lower. One of the big differences between the two is size. Most Alpacas weigh between 100 and 175 lbs when fully grown. Llamas on the other hand weigh in the neighbourhood of 200 to 350 lbs. with some as heavy as 400 lbs. Llamas were primarily bred to be beasts of burden, and alpacas were primarily as fiber producers. An average alpaca stands 34″- 36″ at the withers (shoulders), whereas a Llama stands 42″- 48″ at the withers. Owners of both Llamas and Alpacas really notice the size difference when it comes to toenail trimming time. Llamas and Alpacas depend on flight for defence so definitely do not like having their legs restrained.
