What's the difference between a lama and an alpaca

Alpaca is are smaller, not as furry and their coat is softer. And they are cuter!

Do u mean lama or llama? Alpacas & llamas r two separate types of animal, but they r actually both belong to the genus ''lama''.

Although llamas & alpacas r both members of the camelid family, there r many differences between them. First of all is their appearance. Alpacas r much smaller in stature than llamas. Alpacas have samller, pointed ears, while llamas have long banana shaped ears. Alpacas body shape is different, their backs r slightly rounded & their tails r sloped down from their backs. A llama should have a flat, level back with the tail placed right off the end of the back.

Next is their fiber. Alpacas can be huacaya or suri & the fiber is generally very soft & abundant. Llamas can be light, medium, or heavy wool & they can be silky or suri, some llamas have very high quality soft fiber & others have lower quality coarse fiber.

They r used for very different things. Llamas r gentle animals & easy to train. They can be stand-offish, but with a little training they r truly wonderful animals. They can be used for packing, for livestock guardians for sheep & goats (llamas have been known to kill coyotes when necessary), they make good companions for other herd animals (like horses, etc.), & they can be taught to do obstacle courses, llama limbo, etc. They make excellent packers in delicate wilderness areas because they have padded feet that do very little damage to the surroundings.

Alpacas r mainly used for fiber & for showing. They r generally not quite as easy to train as llamas & tend to be more skittish.

Llamas & alpacas can crossbreed & the result is called a ''huarizo''. Crossing them is generally frowned on by responsible llama & alpaca breeders, since the offspring produced does not improve on either animal is desirable characteristics.

Spelling.

Alpacas r considerably smaller than llamas, & unlike them r not used as beasts of burden but r valued only for their fiber. Alpacas only have fleece fibers, not woolen fibers, used for making knitted & woven items much as sheep is wool is.
Alpacas & llamas differ in that llamas have banana shaped ears & long tails & alpacas have straight ears & stubby tails. Aside from these differences, llamas r on average 1-2 feet taller & proportionally bigger than alpacas.

they have different names