Wildlife
Patagonia’s wildlife is incredibly varied as a result of the region’s equally
varied geography. Because of natural obstacles like the Andes, ice, sea and
desert, Patagonian Chile in particular has developed into an ecological island
as fauna that is commonplace in neighbouring countries has not been able to
migrate there.
Guanaco
A resident of Patagonia and the most widespread of South America’s camel
species, is the guanaco. A relative of the African camel and llama; the guanaco
has been used for thousands of years as a source of transport, clothing and
food. Living in deserts, scrublands and occasionally forest fringes, an adult
guanaco can reach a height of almost 2m and can run fast like a gazelle.
Pumas are probably the most surprising land mammals to be found in Patagonia
and live very elusively in the mountain valleys. Patagonian pumas are bigger
than those found in other habitats and they play an important role as heads of
the Patagonian food chain.
`Death instead of life, seemed here the predominant spirit’. This is
how Darwin described the steppe, but nature does manage to survive here. Under
the cover of shrubs and tough grasses live lizards, two species of armadillo,
skunks and burrowing owls. Running over the plains are guanaco, wild chinchilla
called vizcaha, a type of rodent called mara that looks like a cross between a
guinea pig and a hare, several species of fox, hares, sheep and the occasional
puma.
The slopes of the Andes provides Patagonia with about 120,000 square kilometres
of temperate rainforest which are unique as over 95% of the tree species are
found only in this one area. The giant alerce is the second-longest living
thing on the planet and is similar in size to the sequoia redwood trees of
North America. The trees are home to the rare little hill monkey and the
Patagonian toad.
Some of Patagonia’s 31 national parks are found in mountain areas and here you
are likely to see sheep, cows, an ostrich-like bird called the rhea, flamingos,
birds of prey like the condor – as well as guanacos. Puma, two types of deer,
mountain cats, river otters and foxes also live in the parks but you are
unlikely to see them due to their timid nature.
Andean Condor
Between the Magellan Strait and Peninsula Valdés is the largest concentration
of marine wildlife on any continental coastline: 1.8 million Megellanic
penguins, 40,000 elephant seals, 80,000 southern sea lions, 2,000 dolphins and
over 2,000 southern right whales.
The southern right whale can grow up to 14m long and weigh up to 35,000 kg.
With an original global population of over 100,000 that were nearly wiped out
by commercial whaling, the 2,000-odd whales that come to breed off Peninsula
Valdés represents a important share of the estimated current worldwide total of
5,000 whales.
Megellanic penguins - photo courtesy of Karen Taylor
Tierra del Fuego has its own mix of wildlife from the rest of Patagonia due to
its isolation. Around the coastline can be found Magellanic, Humbolt and King
penguins, parrots, canaries and marine birds such as the petrel, oystercatcher,
heron, albatross and cormorant as well as endemic species like the Fuegian fox
and the tucotuco, a small hairless vole that never drinks water.
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