Llamas, Alpacas, and Grace K

“Alpaca or llama?” was one of my FAQ’s during our Peruvian adventure. We saw these soft furry creatures everywhere. They were in the fields, walking along the roads, at small markets, and in the villages. Llamas and alpacas look very similar, but like any animals that are related, they also have some differences.

The alpaca is shorter and they are softer to the touch. Llamas spit A
LOT more than alpacas. (I found this out from personal experience…)
Also, the ears on a llama are banana-shaped, while alpacas have
straight ears.
Llamas and alpacas are considered pack animals in Peru. They can carry
as much as a donkey or horse, but have more benefits. they are easier
to train, their wool can be used for many different things, they can be
guard animals, and (unfortunately for the alpaca) you can eat them. At
one of the hotels that we stayed at, lunch for the adults was alpaca. I
could not bring myself to eat it, but my mom did. She said that it
tasted a bit like lamb.

A couple of times, people dressed up in traditional Peruvian outfits had alpacas with them. We found out they have different personalities. Some wanted to be petted and hugged. Others walked away when we got close.

One llama we encountered insisted on giving “kisses.” Llama slobber is pretty gross. Llamas and alpacas are important to the Peruvian people and their culture. They’re also really cute!

Comments

cmdub
June 8, 2009, 11:45 pm

Hi–this is Becca’s mom. Becca’s younger sister has been telling me that llamas look like they’re smiling. Now from your terrific photo I see what she means. The llama looks so sweet. But I’m glad I won’t have to get “kissed”!
shastasteph
June 9, 2009, 4:26 pm

Cool! Now when I go to the zoo, I can see whether the lama is a lama or alpaca, or whether the alpaca is an alpaca or a lama! I hope that makes sense.
Kenna
June 9, 2009, 10:46 pm

Phew, I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t get a slobber-smooch from a llama or alpaca!

It was so cool walking in the streets, though. Many, if not most of the children I saw in Peru carried a baby alpaca or llama in their arms wherever they went. How cool is that?! They all had pet baby alpacas and llamas!
I was determined to bring a baby alpaca home with me, but soon discovered it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase…plus, I finally decided I probably wouldn’t be able to get it through security, either.

Kenna
cowgirlexplorer
June 21, 2009, 11:11 pm

Oh! If you got a slobber smooch from a llama or an alpaca it would be so worth it! I have little bottle fed calves and they slobber alot! They like to suck on your hand and it is very slobbery! It is all part of the experience! Peru rocks!
~Celeste~
sweetspiritc
September 14, 2009, 2:40 am

hello!
i am sweetspiritc and i think this is awesome! i love llama’s HAHA! and im new i just made an account and i was wondering if someone could help me? cause i want to make a craft and i have no IDEA how to make one! and im sure someone could help me

thanks for the llama information

love sweetspiritc
niquegohard
November 24, 2009, 10:06 am

thanks i really needed this info
Anonymous
January 21, 2011, 11:44 am

I love llamas onceI saw one at the zoo and I named him lamone(I think that’s how it’s spelled)and it means lemon or lime in spanish
DRW
April 8, 2011, 10:48 am

aww thats s cute i should set it as my back round
Llamalovers
November 2, 2011, 11:36 am

Another diffrence is that an alpacas backside curves downward and a llamas goes straight or curves up a little. Also alpacas see out of the side of their head and llamas see straight.
There is actually no diffrence between which ones spit more, it just means that they were angry.

Another thing is that llamas can’t carry as much weight as a horse or donkey. they can only carry 25% of their body weight.

Other things they can be used for is therapy animals, showing, fiber, and driving ( this is VERY fun!)
I have been showing llamas at the county fair and the state fair for about 5-6 years and have loved it all. I also own 5 lamas. One of them is an alpaca who is in my backyard right now!

There is a diffrence in writing one l or two l’s because one l means the whole llama family ( Camel, Llama, Guanaco , Alpaca, and Vicuna) and two l’s means the actual breed llama.

When they are guarding smaller livestock if they see a pretador they scream, gurgle, spit and kick until the owner comes. They have a very powerful kick that can leave a VERY painful bruise and some times a cut from their nails.

Their feet are not like a horses because they are covered by a leathery like pad. this made it easier to grip the rock of a mountian when they were still wild. Now only the Vicuna and the Guanaco are wild. The rest are all domestic.

Their moth is also diffrent because they have a prehensile lip ( It splits in two) and they only have bottom teeth.

Some llamas and alpacas are softer than others because they have less guard hair. Guard hair is the coarse top coat of a lama that protects them from the wind.

There are also mini llamas, I have 1, that are smaller than others. To be a mini they must be less than 36″ tall at the withers ( the withers are at the base of the neck. Any higher than that and they are quallified as average.

There gestation time is 11 months and they can somtimes have twins.( Although VERY rare!) Sometimes if the baby has a medical problem and is going to die quickly then the mother won’t take care of her baby so that she won’t form an attachment to the baby ( I have seen this happen before and it is VERY sad.) Then the baby is bottlefed. It is best not to bottle feed them though because they think as people as there mothers and are often mean because of that. When thay are bottle fed though, they have to be fed every three hours! even at night! It gets very exausting.

Llamas are very calm animals and are Sooooooo much fun to play with and to train ( especially the BABIES!!!)

-Llamalovers-