Llama vs Alpaca: 7 Key Differences (With Size Chart)

Trait	Llama	Alpaca
Scientific name	Lama glama	Vicugna pacos
Height at the shoulder	40–50 in (102–127 cm)	30–38 in (76–97 cm)
Adult weight	about 265–450 lb (120–200 kg)	about 100–175 lb (45–80 kg)
Ears	Long, curved, banana-shaped	Short, straight, spear-shaped
Face	Long muzzle, little fiber	Short, blunt, covered in fleece
Back and tail	Flat back, tail set higher	Slightly rounded back, tail set lower
Coat	Double coat: coarse guard hair over a softer undercoat	Fine, soft fleece in 22 natural colors
Breeds	No distinct breeds	Two: Huacaya and Suri
Temperament	Independent, confident	Shyer, strongly herd-bound
Main job	Pack animal, livestock guard	Fiber
Wild ancestor	Guanaco	Vicuña
Lifespan	15–30 years	15–25 years

1. Size: the difference you see from across the pasture

Side by side, there is no mistaking them. An adult llama stands 40 to 50 inches at the withers (the top of the shoulders), and its head is carried well above that on a long neck. An alpaca stands 30 to 38 inches at the withers, about hip height on an adult. In weight the gap is even bigger: a grown llama usually weighs two to three times as much as an alpaca.

Shoulder heights of the four South American camelids. Sources: Merck Veterinary Manual (llama, alpaca); vicuña and guanaco species data; CDC (average US adult male height).

2. Ears: the most reliable tell

Size can fool you when you are looking at a young llama or a big alpaca. Ears almost never do. Llama ears are long and curve inward at the tips, which is why breeders call them banana ears. Alpaca ears are short, straight and pointed, like the tip of a spear.

3. Face and body shape

A llama has a long face with a fairly bare muzzle. An alpaca's face is shorter and flatter, and on a Huacaya alpaca it often disappears into a pom-pom of fleece. Look at the back line too: a llama's back is flat with the tail carried high, while an alpaca has a slight rounding over the rump and a tail set lower.

4. Fleece: why alpaca is the luxury fiber

This is the difference that matters most to farmers. Alpacas were bred for fiber, and their fleece is fine, soft and dense, in 22 recognized natural colors from white to true black. It contains very little lanolin and has a smoother surface than sheep's wool, so it tends to feel less prickly against the skin at the same fineness.

There are two alpaca breeds, and the difference is all in the fleece. Huacaya alpacas, the vast majority, grow a crimpy, fluffy coat that stands out from the body. Suri alpacas grow long, silky locks that hang down in cords.

Llamas have a double coat: coarse guard hairs on the outside and a softer undercoat underneath. Llama fiber is perfectly usable for rugs, rope and outerwear, but the guard hair has to be removed first, which is why it never reached the price of alpaca. For micron grades, why some alpaca itches and how to wash it, see our complete guide to alpaca wool.

5. Temperament: which one spits, a llama or an alpaca?

Both. It is a myth that only llamas spit. Both species are gentle, curious and strongly social, and both communicate with ear position, tail carriage, humming, foot stomping and, when annoyed, spitting. Alpacas spit almost always at each other, usually over food or to turn away an unwanted male. A well-handled animal of either species rarely spits at people.

The real difference is confidence. Llamas tend to be independent and calm, and they will stand their ground. Alpacas are more herd-bound and can be skittish. Neither species does well alone, so plan on keeping at least two.

6. Jobs: pack animal and guard vs fiber producer

The Inca and earlier Andean peoples bred the two animals for different work. Llamas were the freight trucks of the Andes, and a fit llama can still carry roughly 70 to 120 pounds on a trail. Today many llamas also work as livestock guards: a single gelded male can keep coyotes and dogs away from a flock of sheep, goats or alpacas. Alpacas were never strong enough to pack. Their job was, and still is, to grow fleece. In the US they are also kept for shows, breeding and farm tourism.

7. Ancestry: guanaco vs vicuña

Both animals were domesticated in the Andes roughly 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, but from different wild species. For a long time scientists assumed the alpaca came from the guanaco, like the llama. A 2001 genetic study led by Miranda Kadwell showed that the alpaca actually descends from the vicuña, and the alpaca was reclassified from Lama pacos to Vicugna pacos. The llama descends from the guanaco. The same study also found that llamas and alpacas have crossbred a great deal over the centuries.

Llama vs alpaca vs vicuña vs guanaco

South America has four camelids. Two are domestic, the llama and the alpaca. Two are wild, the guanaco and the vicuña, and each is the ancestor of one domestic species. If you see a slender, sandy-colored animal with a white belly running free in the Andes or Patagonia, it is one of the wild two.

	Llama	Alpaca	Guanaco	Vicuña
Wild or domestic	Domestic	Domestic	Wild	Wild
Descends from	Guanaco	Vicuña	—	—
Shoulder height	40–50 in	30–38 in	39–51 in	30–33 in
Weight	265–450 lb	100–175 lb	200–310 lb	77–143 lb
Coat	Many colors, coarse guard hair	22 colors, fine fleece	Cinnamon brown, white belly	Light brown, white chest and belly
Fiber	Coarse; undercoat usable	About 15–35 µm, graded	Undercoat about 16–18 µm	About 12 µm, among the finest in the world
Where	Andes, farms worldwide	Andes, farms worldwide	Andes to Patagonia, mostly Argentina and Chile	High Andes, about 10,500–15,700 ft, mostly Peru

The vicuña is a conservation success story. By the 1970s only about 6,000 were left after centuries of hunting for their fiber. Today, under strict protection, there are around 350,000. They are still wild: local communities round them up, shear them and release them, usually only every few years.

Llamas and alpacas in Peru and at Machu Picchu

Peru is home to both, and most of the world's alpacas. The famous animals grazing on the terraces of Machu Picchu, the ones in almost every travel photo, are llamas. Look for the long banana ears and the long face. Alpacas are mostly raised higher up, on the cold Andean plateau, where their fleece earns a living for herding families.

Is an alpaca a llama? Are they the same thing?

No. They are separate species in different genera, Lama and Vicugna. Think of them as cousins: same family (Camelidae, along with camels, guanacos and vicuñas), different ancestors and different jobs.

Can llamas and alpacas breed?

Yes. A cross between a male llama and a female alpaca is called a huarizo; the reverse cross is a misti. Unlike mules, these hybrids are fertile. Most breeders avoid crossing on purpose, because a huarizo is too small to pack and its fleece is coarser than a purebred alpaca's.

Llama or alpaca: which is right for your farm?

Choose alpacas if you want fiber, a breeding business or animals for shows. Choose a llama if you need a pack animal for trail work or a guardian for a small flock. Many farms in the Southeast keep both: a herd of alpacas with one llama watching over them. To meet people who raise them, see our directory of alpaca farms and breeders, read who buys alpacas and the financial side of raising alpacas, or start with our alpaca facts.

Watch: llamas and alpacas side by side

Quick answers

Which is bigger, a llama or an alpaca?

The llama. It stands 40–50 inches at the shoulder and weighs about 265–450 lb, roughly twice the size of an alpaca.

Which is friendlier?

Both are gentle. Llamas are usually calmer and more confident with people; alpacas are shyer and prefer to stay with their herd.

Which has softer wool?

The alpaca. It was bred for fiber and grows a fine single coat. Llamas grow a double coat with coarse guard hair.

Can llamas and alpacas live together?

Yes, and many farms keep them together. A gelded male llama is often kept with an alpaca herd as a guard.

Are llamas and alpacas related to camels?

Yes. All of them belong to the camel family, Camelidae. The South American members have no hump.

How long do llamas and alpacas live?

Llamas usually live 15–30 years and alpacas 15–25 years. Both start life as a cria.

Llama vs alpaca at a glance