Alpaca or llama? What’s the difference?

Here at Zoo Atlanta, you might have visited our Orkin’s Children Zoo and wondered what the funny looking animals were that live just across from our goats. Well, those are our three male alpacas: Tuscany (the brown alpaca), Smurf (our white alpaca with bangs), and Warrior (our large white alpaca). However, the boys often get confused for their close cousins, the llamas. So what is the difference between alpacas and llamas?

Let’s first talk about why they are so easy to mix up. Both species are in the camelid family, which is broken up into three groups: Camelus (camels), Lama (llamas and guanacos), and Vicugna (alpacas and vicuňas). Both species are also from the Andes Mountains in South America, so they are adapted to high altitudes. They also look similar, each having long necks and legs, as well as two toes on each foot. Alpacas and llamas are both herbivores, too.

Despite the similarities, the two species have several differences, including body structure, personalities, and reasons they were domesticated. Let’s start with the llamas. Llamas were domesticated from wild guanacos 4,000 to 6,000 years ago. They have longer, less compact faces with distinctive banana-shaped ears. Llamas are also bigger on average than alpacas. On average, they can reach 4 feet at the shoulder and weigh 250 pounds. Due to their size and bold temperament, they are often used as guardians of other herd animals, as well as pack animals. Llamas are often compared to horses and are capable of carrying up to 20-25 percent of their body weight while walking long distances.

In comparison, alpacas are smaller, weighing between 110 and 190 pounds, and are around 3 feet at the shoulder. They were domesticated around the same time as llamas, but from wild vicuňas rather than guanacos. Alpacas have smaller heads, rounder faces, and long pointed ears, making them look slightly different from their relatives. However, the main difference comes from their fleece. Llamas have coarse fleece that mainly comes in either solid shades or spotted patterns. The fibers in their fleece are also more coarse, while alpaca fleece is dense and prized for its warmth and softness. They also have a vastly wider display of fiber colors, displaying more than 20 natural shades of white, black, brown, and gray. So, the next time you visit Tuscany, Smurf, and Warrior at Zoo Atlanta, take a closer look at their size, ears, faces, and fleece. You’ll know exactly why these are three alpacas rather than llamas.

(photo: Rebecca Y.)

Blake H.
Keeper I, Ambassador Animals