Llamas And Alpacas

Day 347: Here's your quiz for the day: What's the difference between a llama and an alpaca (and yes, this is a trick question). Silly me, I didn't know, so I asked. Better to look like a fool for the sake of knowledge rather than to be a fool in ignorance.

First off, there's size. A full-grown llama is roughly twice as large as an alpaca. They were bred to be beasts of burden whereas alpacas were bred for their soft fleece. It should be noted here that a llama's coat has both long, coarse fibers and softer, shorter ones (the "undercoat"). Alpacas' coats lack the coarse guard hairs found in llama fleece. Both can be spun, but the spinner will spend much more time cleaning a llama's fleece of the coarser fibers.

Alpacas can be distinguished from llamas by their size, by the shape of their ears, and by the tuft of hair on their heads which often falls down over their eyes, giving them a comical appearance. According to most breeders, alpacas are gentler and more tractable than llamas. Llamas are more independent, and sometimes are even used as guardians of a flock of alpacas.

So what do you see here? I warned you this was a trick question! Both of these animals are alpacas, one unshorn and one recently given a trim.