If you came across a llama or an alpaca at a farm show, could you tell which one it was? I could not, until I looked into it. They look similar, and they are close relatives, but the difference between llamas and alpacas is easy to spot once you know what to look for. Here is the quick version.
| Llama | Alpaca | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Larger, roughly twice the size of an alpaca | Smaller, about the size of a large sheep |
| Ears | Long and curved, like bananas | Short and pointed |
| Face | Longer face and snout | Shorter, rounder, fluffier face |
| Coat | Coarser | Very fine and soft, prized for fibre |
| Main use | Carrying loads | Fleece |
| Wild ancestor | Guanaco | Vicuña |
How to tell them apart in five seconds
Look at the ears first. Llamas have long, curved ears often described as banana-shaped, while alpacas have short, straight, pointed ears, as the Australian Alpaca Association notes. Then look at the size: a llama is roughly twice as big as an alpaca, according to the association, tall enough to look you in the eye, while an alpaca is closer to the size of a large sheep. Finally, look at the face. Llamas have longer faces and snouts with short hair, while alpacas have shorter, rounder faces with a fluffy fringe of fibre on top, which is why many people think alpacas are the cuter of the two.
Where they came from
Llamas and alpacas are both South American camelids, distant cousins of camels, and both were domesticated in the Andes thousands of years ago. They are thought to come from two different wild ancestors, which helps explain the size difference: llamas from the larger guanaco, and alpacas from the smaller, finer-coated vicuña.
For a long time, the alpaca’s origins were confused, partly because the two animals were heavily crossbred after the Spanish conquest, when Andean people and their herds were devastated, as the Yorkshire Post describes in a feature on alpacas. Modern genetic research has pointed to the vicuña as the alpaca’s ancestor. The two are still close enough to breed together today; a llama-alpaca cross is known as a huarizo.
Different jobs, different coats
Those different builds led to different jobs. Llamas, being bigger and stronger, were bred as pack animals, carrying goods across the Andes for the Inca and, later, ore from Spanish mines. Alpacas are too small to carry much, but their fleece is exceptionally fine, soft and warm, so they were bred for fibre, and alpaca wool is still prized today. And do they spit? Both can, usually at each other over food or pecking order rather than at people, although a stressed or badly handled animal may not be so careful about its aim. Most are gentle and curious.
Alpacas in Australia
Alpacas have done remarkably well in Australia. The first attempt to farm them here was in the 1850s, near Goulburn in New South Wales, but those animals eventually died out, as Clearview Alpacas explains. The modern industry began with new imports in the late 1980s, and it has grown remarkably. A report by AgriFutures Australia estimated there are now more than 350,000 alpacas in Australia, making our national herd second only to Peru’s, as the Stock Journal reports.
They are not just here for their fleece. Alpacas have a strong protective instinct, and many Australian sheep, goat and poultry farmers keep a few castrated male alpacas with their flocks as guards against foxes, especially at lambing time. They will raise the alarm, stand their ground and even chase off a fox. Demand is so strong that breeders report waiting lists for herd guards, the Stock Journal notes. Not every alpaca makes a good guard, though.
One South Australian breeder told Farm Online that alpacas under about 18 months old do not really guard anything, and that she runs two or three in each mob of sheep. Overseas you will often hear about “guard llamas”, but in Australia it is mostly alpacas doing the job.
Ears, size and a fluffy fringe
Next time you see one, check the ears first: long and curved means llama, short and pointed means alpaca. Then the size, and the face. And if you are anywhere near a sheep farm in Australia, chances are the animal keeping watch over the lambs is an alpaca. If you like animal look-alikes with a surprising backstory, my post on pizzly bears looks at what happens when two close relatives meet in the wild, and are killer whales dolphins? untangles another case of confusing names.
Sources
- Australian Alpaca Association: Australian Alpaca annual (PDF)
- Stock Journal: Alpaca baby boom as herd size surpasses 350,000
- Farm Online: Alpaca industry expansion and herd guardian role
- Clearview Alpacas: Alpaca fact sheet
- Yorkshire Post: The wild bunch goes on fox patrol