[5] The llama (Lama glama) is the largest of the extant laminoids and weighs 130–150 kilograms (290–330 lb) with a height of 109–119 cm (43–47 in) at the shoulder.

[7] Commercial trade led to the llama's current abundance in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and northeast Argentina.

[8] Its pelage is longer than vicuña wool but shorter than that of the alpaca; it is considered to be of excellent quality and has a light brown, reddish, or brown-yellow color.

In the 1980s, alpacas started being exported to other countries for farming purposes: they can be found in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, though the vast majority still reside in South America.

Out of the domestic camelids, the alpaca produces wool with longer and finer fiber than the llama,[6] with a strand diameter of 18–25 micrometers.

It lives only in areas of high altitude – 3,200 m (10,500 ft) or greater – in the highlands of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador.