OXFORD — When is a llama not a llama?
When it’s an alpaca, said Maureen Libby of Sunday River Alpacas. She has been working with other llama and alpaca owners in the area to educate people about the difference between the two animals.
Libby was at the Oxford Fair this week showing off her alpacas and some of the fine items that can be made from the animal’s fiber.
“We work so hard to educate people,” she said, because of the mistake some people make when looking at both animals. It’s pretty simple, she said. The main differences are size and the shape of their ears.
The llama has “banana ears,” the alpaca “spear-shaped” ears, she said. Both are raised for their fiber, but llamas are also used as a guard animal.
The alpaca is about 200 pounds while the llama is 400 to 600 pounds.
Libby, who is known as “Mo the Alpaca Lady,” raises a herd of alpacas at her farm on Flat Road in Bethel. Many of them are named for ski trails at the nearby Sunday River ski resort in neighboring Newry.
Both the llama and alpacas are on view at the fair this week.
An alpaca at the Oxford Fair.
A llama at the Oxford Fair.
Comments are no longer available on this story