Have you ever been unable to differentiate a llama from an alpaca? Don’t worry, it’s very common for the llama to be confused with the alpaca and vice versa. Visually they have many similarities, but if we look beyond a first glance we can find a lot of features that set them apart and we want to share them with you in this post of our blog.
Differences in their physical characteristics
The first major difference is the height, the llamas are the larger species of the two measuring between 1.7 and 1.8 meters, while the alpaca gets to measure between 1.3 and 1.5 meters.
Another difference is in the shape of the ears. The ears of llamas are long and slightly curved, while the ears of alpacas are smaller and symmetrical, in a “leaf” shape.
And, of course, llama and alpaca fur have fundamental differences. The fur of the llama is thinner and less uniform, while the fur of the alpaca is much softer. The fur of the latter is considered of great quality, which makes it highly valued in the market.
Differences in their upbringing
Both llamas and alpacas have been domesticated thousands of years ago, but their breeding differs in the end. Llamas are commonly raised for meat consumption, cargo and wool production. While alpacas are mainly raised for the commercialization of their wool, which is a highly sought after product worldwide, exported to a variety of countries. For many families, especially in Andean regions, the marketing of this wool constitutes their main source of income, being crucial for their economic sustenance.
Differences in their behavior
Alpacas are usually more sociable and docile than llamas. Both are admired for their intelligence, but the llamas are a bit harder to master because of how headstrong they are.
