What is the difference between an Alpaca and a Llama?
The four species of indigenous South American fiber-bearing animals are the llama,
the alpaca, the guanaco and the
vicuņa. The llama and the alpaca are domesticated;
the guanaco and the vicuņa run wild. Of the four, the alpaca and the vicuņa are
the most valuable wool-bearing animals: the alpaca because of the quality and
quantity of its wool, and the vicuņa because of the softness, fineness and quality
of its coat.
Due to the widespread devastation of South America during the Spanish conquest in the 1500's
(approximately 90% of domestic camelids as well as 80% of the human population disappeared
before 1600) and the fact that the indigenous peoples have no written language, we are still
unsure of how exactly the Alpaca originated. There are currently two accepted theories,
these are depicted in the evolutionary models below:
The first theory (that the llama is descended from the guanaco and the alpaca from the vicuņa)
is derived from the study of Andean archaeological sites and based on incisor morphology.
Essentially, both llamas and guanacos have indistinguishable spatulate incisors with an
enamel-covered crown. The vicuņa has parallel-sided permanent incisors with enamel covering
the entire labial surface and deciduous incisors with enamel covering the upper labial
surface only while all of the Alpaca's incisors (both deciduous and permanent) are parallel
sided with enamel covering only the upper labial surface.
The second theory (that the llama is descended from the guanaco and the alpaca is the
product of llama and vicuņa hybridization) is based on research of camelid behavior.
Some argue that the alpaca is the domestic vicuņa based on unique shared behavioral
traits that are said to differ from those observed in the guanaco and llama. Others
conclude that while some alpaca behavior patterns match those of the vicuņa, other
behaviors are intermediate between those of the vicuņa and guanaco, suggesting
that the alpaca is a mixture of both lines, produced by crossbreeding of captured
vicuņas with the only initially available domestic animal, the llama.
The whole point to this discussion is to prove the genes and DNA for the
10 to 15 micron "golden fleece" of the vicuņa are present in the alpaca of today.
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Much of the information presented on this page was taken from the paper, "Evolution and
Origin of the Domestic Camelids" by Jane C. Wheeler, PhD. Dr. Wheeler holds degrees from
American University, Cambridge University, and the University of Michigan and completed
postdoctoral studies at the University of Paris. She made her first trip to Peru in 1974
as a Senior Fulbright Fellow, and although she had no intention of continuing to do
research there at the time, South American camelids have been the focus of her research
ever since. She has published extensively on the origins of alpaca and llama domestication
and the evolution of herding in the Andes. Her current research is concentrated on
camelid fiber, genetics, and molecular systematics. She is managing director of
Camelid Consultants International, based in Ocala, Florida, and a visiting professor
at the Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru.
Please click here to review this
paper in its entitity, posted on the website of BelleauWood Farms Alpacas (Erin and Megan
McCarthy of Charlotte, NC) as of 12/2005.
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