LLAMAS AND ALPACAS

Llamas and alpacas are often confused and outside of “Do they spit?” the most common question asked is “What is the difference between a llama and an alpaca?”

In my experience after raisingthese animals for over a decade here is the “unofficial” list of differences

Amy’s List of Llama v Alpaca

Llamas are bigger and can be guard animals.

Alpacas are widely known for their fiber production and were originally domesticated to provide fine clothing for kings. They were bred for fiber whereas llamas were bred more for strength, size, and packing.

Alpacas have two main types of fleece, huacaya and Suri. Huacaya is typically a lower micron fleece (16-23) depending on the age of the animal.

Guanaco

Guanaco are undomesticated llamas. There are fewer than 400 on private land in the US, most are found in zoos. Guanaco are protected species in South America. They are mostly found in high altitudes like Patagonia.

According to Lisa Mitchell, from Aliento Luxury Farms, guanaco harvest 1-2 pounds per animal annually. They are double coated where thedowny undercoat resembles qiviut. Guanacos have

There is relatively little to no guard hair in the best animals. Llama fiber varies more. Llamas have suri fibered animals but are alsocategorized by single (silky) vs double coat. There is also a wide variety of categories, including classic, light, medium, and heavy wool. Llama and alpaca fibers do not contain lanolin and therefore can be washed using a gentle soap soak and vinegar.

Llamas have packing ability.

Alpacas have in general a finer fleece with less guard hair.

Llamas have a wider vatiety of fleece. Llamas have banana ears, and alpacas have triangles. Llamas are much easier to train to do obstacles and scream less.

Alpaca babies are the cutest thing that was ever put on this planet. Llama babies look more like aliens when they are born

Llama and alpaca fiber make beautiful yarn on their own or blended with other types of fibers. A favorite combination on our farm is Suri llama, huacaya alpaca or dehaired llama, fine wool, and angora rabbit.

Fiber processing yields roving, combed top, yarn, corespun rug yarn (typically made from seconds and higher micron, lower quality fiber) a short staple length and their fiber is extremely insulative. Guanaco fiber must be dehairedto use for spinningfine yarn. Thereis a 40% loss with dehairing. Guanacos are all the same color. Babies are lighter in color, mostly off white. They darken to a caramel color by the time they are adults. Guanaco fiber is fine, with micron counts between 16-18 microns.

My personal favorite is the dehaired llama that ends up coming back from the mill in a “cloud”.

The versatility of llamas and alpacas is unparalleled. Their fiber is water resistant, so it makes great socks and rugs. It is breathable and the soft down undercoats often have microns less than 22.

The average staple length is 1”- 1 ½” for adults and 3” for babies.

Best things about guanaco fiber:

It has warmth like no other fiber, highly insulated and light

It creates a subtle halo when blended with wool

It is soft like cashmere.

It is the 2nd finest fiber in the world (1st is vicuna) because it is so rare and exquisite It does not have lanolin