Alpacas have pointed ears and Llamas have long bananna shaped ears. Alpacas are also half the size of Llamas. Llamas have a long level flat back. All that courtesy of Google!
Now I need to memorize that so I can apply it in the field! I think we see more alpacas than llamas here though some of the them seem very big, especially when approaching with a camera.
All llamas and alpacas are domesticated but there are relatives that are wild. They’re called Guanacos (Quechua) but they’re also known as Vicuñas (Spanish). We haven’t seen any in Ecuador but we did see them in Patagonia, Argentina.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanaco)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicuña)
What’s funny, though, is that when you’re approached by vendors of wool products, such as sweaters, they’re always, “baby alpaca, señor”, regardless of what the thing is actually made of.
Isn’t that the truth? I know that that vast majority of products that are called baby alpaca really aren’t or contain such a little bit that they shouldn’t be sold that way. But tourists spend and seem happy, so vendors keep plying their trade in the same way. After all, baby petroleum products just don’t sell as well 🙂
Not Your Average American 
Alpacas have pointed ears and Llamas have long bananna shaped ears. Alpacas are also half the size of Llamas. Llamas have a long level flat back. All that courtesy of Google!
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Now I need to memorize that so I can apply it in the field! I think we see more alpacas than llamas here though some of the them seem very big, especially when approaching with a camera.
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Are there any wild ones there or are they all farmed?
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All llamas and alpacas are domesticated but there are relatives that are wild. They’re called Guanacos (Quechua) but they’re also known as Vicuñas (Spanish). We haven’t seen any in Ecuador but we did see them in Patagonia, Argentina.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanaco)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicuña)
LikeLike
What’s funny, though, is that when you’re approached by vendors of wool products, such as sweaters, they’re always, “baby alpaca, señor”, regardless of what the thing is actually made of.
LikeLike
Isn’t that the truth? I know that that vast majority of products that are called baby alpaca really aren’t or contain such a little bit that they shouldn’t be sold that way. But tourists spend and seem happy, so vendors keep plying their trade in the same way. After all, baby petroleum products just don’t sell as well 🙂
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