How well do you know your llamas from your alpacas? Llamas and alpacas are both in the camelid family hailing from South America. At first glance, they look very similar, causing many people to think they're snapping an alpaca selfie at Machu Picchu in Peru when it is in fact a llama deserving the photo bomb credit. These exotic herd animals have similarities. For one thing, both will spit on you. Llamas and alpacas are both bred for their wool and meat, sometimes even their milk. The camelid cousins do look similar in appearance, but noticeable differences exist. The behavior of each species is different, too. A good place to start with the difference between alpacas and llamas is with the ears. Llamas have long banana-shaped ears while alpacas have straight ears and they are smaller. Their faces are also a bit different with llamas having a longer face, while an alpaca's face looks smushed. The llama is on the left, and the alpaca on the right! Llamas are also bigger than alpacas, weighing up to 400 pounds. Average alpacas only get to about 175 pounds. For that reason, llamas are used more as pack-carrying animals on backcountry trips since they can carry heavier loads. Another difference between the two, is the fur. You may have heard about alpaca wool, which is much softer than a llama's double-layered, coarse outer coat over a softer inner coat. Alpaca fleece has finer fiber and more of it; it comes in 22 colors! There are two different breeds of alpaca used for wool: the Suri and the Huacaya. Alpacas also have a single coat and their hair is better for people who may be allergic to sheep wool guard hairs. Llamas are known to be good guard animals, while alpacas are a bit more skittish. In fact, some alpaca breeders have llamas in order to protect their alpaca herdmates. Llamas are also easier to train due to their steadfastness and independence. Llamas and alpacas can interbreed and have fertile offspring, but the babies won't be as strong a