Alpaca, not llama
Every piece is alpaca fur. It is the finer of the two, in the natural browns and creams the herds grow. See the collection.
### Guide ###
Alpaca vs llama: how to tell them apart
The short answer is size and ears. A llama is about twice the weight of an alpaca and has long curved ears; an alpaca is smaller, blunt faced, with short straight ears and a fringe of fleece over its eyes. They are different species kept for different reasons: llamas carry loads, alpacas grow fibre.
### Side by side ###
The difference between a llama and an alpaca, in one table
The differences worth knowing
| Alpaca | Llama | |
|---|---|---|
| Heightat the shoulder | About 90 cm | About 115 cm |
| Weight | Roughly 55 to 85 kg | Roughly 130 to 200 kg |
| Ears | Short, straight, spear shaped | Long and curved, often called banana shaped |
| Face | Blunt, with fleece over the forehead | Longer, and mostly bare |
| Kept for | Fibre | Carrying loads, and guarding other herds |
| Fleece | Fine and even, in many natural shades | Coarser, with a longer outer coat of guard hair |
| Descended from | The vicuña | The guanaco |
Heights and weights are typical adult figures and vary by animal and by herd.
### How to tell ###
How to tell a llama from an alpaca: look at the ears
If you only look at one thing, look at the ears.
An alpaca's ears are short and straight and come to a point, roughly the length of the head is tall. A llama's are long, and they curve inward at the top, which is why people describe them as banana shaped.
The second thing is the face. An alpaca has fleece growing over its forehead and down between its eyes, which gives it a blunt face. A llama's face is longer and largely bare, like a camel's.
Size is the most reliable difference, but it is hard to judge in a photograph. Side by side, the llama is about a head taller and about twice the weight.
They are kept for different reasons
A llama is a working animal. It carries loads across ground that a vehicle cannot reach, and it is put with flocks of sheep and herds of alpacas because it will see off a fox or a dog.
An alpaca is kept for fibre, and it has been selected for that for a very long time. Its fleece is finer and more even than a llama's, it grows in a wider range of natural colours, and it does not carry the coarse outer layer of guard hair that a llama's coat has. That is why alpaca is used for clothing, for rugs and for our stuffed animals.
Two kinds of alpaca
Huacaya and Suri. A Huacaya's fleece grows outward with a crimp in it, so the animal looks round and fluffy; a Suri's grows downward in long separate locks. Most alpacas are Huacaya, the look most people know.
And the thing everybody asks
Both spit, mostly at each other over food or rank, and people are rarely the target. A llama is the more assertive of the two, which makes it a good guard animal.
### And ours ###
Why our stuffed animals are alpaca, not llama
We are a workshop in Lima that makes stuffed animals from real alpaca fur, for shops rather than for the public.
Where the fur comes from
It is a by-product of Andean herding rather than anything farmed for fur. The full answer is on its own page.
Made in six sizes
From 15 cm up to a life-size 120 cm, plus rugs. Wholesale only, from $500 mixed freely, quoted within 24 hours. Ordering and terms.
Llama vs alpaca: common questions
Size and ears. A llama is about a head taller and roughly twice the weight, with long ears that curve inward at the top. An alpaca is smaller, with short straight ears and fleece growing over its forehead. They are also kept for different reasons: llamas carry loads and guard other herds, alpacas are kept for fibre.
For clothing and for what we make, yes. Alpaca fleece is finer and more even, and it does not carry the coarse outer layer of guard hair that a llama's coat has. It also grows in a wider range of natural colours. Llamas are bred for work rather than for their coats, although some are kept for fibre.
The way the fleece grows. A Huacaya's grows outward with a crimp in it, so the animal looks dense and fluffy; a Suri's grows downward in long separate locks. Most alpacas are Huacaya, the look most people know.
Alpaca. Every piece is real alpaca fur, which is the finer of the two and comes in the natural browns and creams the herds grow. The fur is a by-product of Andean herding; where it comes from is set out in full on its own guide.
### Alpaca stuffed animals · from $500 ###
Build the mix. The quotation comes back within 24 hours.