At first glance, llamas and alpacas are very similar in terms of their physical appearance especially with their long necks and goat like features. Both of them are similar even in taxonomy because they have the same kingdom, phylum, class, family, and genus. They are slender bodied animals with a long neck and long legs, a short tail, a small head, and large pointed ears. Alpaca’s fur has a soft, silky feel while llamas are also extremely warm, strong, durable, lanolin-free and therefore water-resistant but will lose its shape and shrink a bit when wet. Alpacas have more of a friendly and chubby face while llamas have a serious face.
Alpaca ears have short shaped ears while llamas have much longer shaped ears similar to a banana. Alpacas have cute, blunt nose faces normally with a lot of fur and look squished. Llamas have longer noses and much less fur on their face. Alpacas generally weigh in at around 150 pounds while llamas can get as heavy as 400 pounds. At the shoulder, an average alpaca stands between 34 and 36 inches, while a llama generally ranges between 42 and 46 inches. An alpaca has more fur on their body than llamas. Alpacas would produce better fiber for clothing, bags, etc since their fur are thick and have a variety of colors too.
Humans usually pick llamas to help them such as guarding animals. The average llama can carry a load of 45 to 60 kg for up to 30 km each day. However when overloaded, they react by spitting, kicking, lying down, or refusing to move. Alpacas on the other hand are very gentle and calm creatures. They aren’t able to defend themselves unlike llamas. Llamas are most likely to feel bothered and attack whatever is bothering them by spitting at it really hard. Alpacas are way more calm and slow than llamas who are a bit more aggressive and defensive.
Both llamas and alpacas need access to open land or a yard big enough for the animal to run around in. Alpacas also have to have access to grass or hay daily. The diet of an alpaca or llama consists primarily of grazed grass and hay with some oats during the winter and an occasional vitamin supplement.
Alpacas are known for their gentle attitude, Alpacas make excellent pets. They also have a unique appearance. Alpacas have soft padded feet, which means you do not have to worry about any damage to your surfaces in and around your home. Of course, you do have to take good care of your Alpaca. It is recommended that you have access to open land or a yard big enough for the animal to run around in. Alpacas also have to have access to grass or hay daily. As with other pets, you need to make sure your alpaca is well fed, but not overfed, as being overweight has a negative impact on the health of any pet. And that is why Alpacas are more suitable to keep as a pet.
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