Alpacas vs. Llamas: The Ultimate Guide to Telling Who's Who
How to Easily Tell the Difference between Alpacas v. Llamas
Is your local farm raising alpacas or llamas? Is that emoji supposed to be an alpaca or a llama? Are these socks made of alpaca fibers or llama fibers?
We understand the struggle when it comes to telling the two apart, but it is not as difficult as you may think.
The two animals, special in their own ways, resemble each other with their perky ears and fluffy bottoms, but we here at Golden Touch Naturals are going to help you tell the difference!
Alpacas taking a selfie in the back pasture, Golden Touch Farm - July 2020
All About Alpacas
Alpacas are members of the family Camelidae, which – you guessed it – includes camels like the Dromedary Camel of Africa or the Bactrian Camel of Asia.
Indigenous to South America, there are four species within the Camelidae family that look very similar, but have distinct features that make them unique. One of these species is the alpaca.
Here at Golden Touch Farm, we raise alpacas.
There are two breeds of alpacas, the Suri alpaca, and the Huacaya alpaca. Each breed can be distinguished by their coat. While the less common Suri has straighter fibers, the Huacaya fiber is fluffy and spongy, giving it a wavy, crimped look as opposed to the curls , almost dread like fibers of the Suri alpaca.
Alpacas posing for the camera, Golden Touch Farm - July 2020
Spot the Difference
The main differences that distinguish alpacas from llamas are:
Weight and Body Height - Llamas will be close to double the size of an alpaca
Shape, size, and orientation of ears - Llamas ears are shaped like bananas!
Shape of muzzle, head - Llamas have a boxier, longer muzzle when compared to
Use by humans - Llamas are large pack animals, Alpacas are smaller with finer fiber
Quality of Fiber - Alpacas generally have more fiber, and it’s finer than the average Llama
When it comes to the scale, llamas typically weigh in at about 200-380 lbs while alpacas only weigh about 100-185 lbs.
Pack Llamas, photo from Montana Mountain Llama Guides and Tours
With regard to their main roles, alpacas are often used for their meat and fibers, and llamas make great pack animals!
Lastly, their fiber makeup is very different, with llama fiber being considered much less valuable than alpaca fiber due to its very coarse texture.
In contrast, alpaca fiber is very fine and comes in a variety of natural colors. They make our job too easy, giving us the best fibers to make the coziest, most colorful socks, hats, gloves, and more!
Fine alpaca fiber being sorted after shearing, Golden Touch Farm - June 2020