What is the difference between Alpaca and Llama?

Llamas and alpacas are both herd animals and they are most common in South America and when you look at them from a far you tend to think they are alike. Although they have some similarities but there are a lot of differences between the two animals especially their physical appearance. The first difference will definitely be on their ears. Llamas have long banana-shaped ears while alpacas have a very small straight ear.

Also when you look at their faces, you will realize that llamas have a long face while alpacas have a not too long face. Llamas are always bigger than alpacas and you can't compare their weight because an average llama weighs about 400 pounds while an average alpaca weighs 175 pounds. Another good thing about llamas is that, they are known to be good guard animals probably because they are bigger than alpacas, in fact alpacas breeders at times use llamas to guard the alpacas.