Fauna

Animals we can find here

Guanaco

These are the highest animals in our Patagonian steppe, and their silhouette against the horizon makes a very representative postcard of the area. They can be 1.10m high up to their withers; they have big eyes, and long eyelashes and ears. They form groups, dominated by a male guanaco, and formed by the female and the year's offsprings. They stay in the same place, and mark their territory by dung piles. They have only one child a year, and can spend a whole year without water. This is why they belong to the camel family. They are unique in the area. You can find them all over Patagonia, from the coast to the mountains, and you can easily see them from the road.

European hare

Very similar to rabbits, they have long ears and darker fur, which makes them mimetic to the steppe.
They can be 70cm long, and weight between 3.5 and 7 kg. They are seen in the roads. They were introduced to the area in the beginning of the 20th century, and they now occupy most of the country.
It's used for commercial and sport hunting, besides feeding many carnivore animals in the area. It represents a problem to vegetation in many places.

Grey Fox

They are frequently found in roads, but you must look carefully, as they are very fast. They eat rodents, birds, fruits, insects and carrion. Their sides and legs are red coloured. They can weight 3kg, and be one metre tall, including their tail. They can have between 3 and 6 children in the summer. They do not live in the same place as the red fox, but the latter is taking their place lately, as it is fiercer and more destructive. For a long time, they were puma's favourite food, but intensive hunting in order to sell their fur broke his ecologic chain.

Piche

It's the only kind of armadillo we can find in the National Park. It can be 45cm tall, and weight up to 3kg. It's a day animal, and digs caves, where it looks for shelter and hibernates. It lives in very arid areas, eating insects, roots and carrion. It can have 3 children at the same time. Other similar species in our country are mulita, quirquincho and tatu. Countrymen love its meat. Its only defense methods are hiding in its caparace, or quickly enter its caves.

Red Fox

It's the second largest canine in South America. Its fur is red, especially in its stomach, legs and head. It can be 1.3 m tall, and weight up to 12 kg. It can live in the steppe or in the forest. It eats medium or small size mammals, birds, fruits and carrion. It can have 5 children at the same time, in caves it digs. The only predator that eats it is the puma, and nowadays man too, because it attacks their sheep and its fur has a high value.

Hurón

It's similar to the skunk, but it's totally carnivorous. Its legs are short, in comparison to the rest of its body, which is 45 cm long. It lives in the most humid areas of the countryside, and it is basically black, with a long white stripe along its body and tail.

Pajonal Cat

It's similar to the wild cat in size. Its fur varies according to the area, but it is generally grey, with striped legs, where 3 or 4 dark stripes can be found. It has longer hair in its sideburns and armpits, and its tail has open rings. It eats the same things as the wild cat, but lives in open areas.

Small Long-eared Bat

It can be 24 cm long, but its body is only 6cm long. Its wings are narrow, its skin smooth and hairy. It is browny grey, and has long ears. It hunts flying insects, and during the winter it migrated to warmer areas, or hibernates.

Patagonian Skunk

Its legs are short, and its claws and teeth are sharp, in order to find and get its food: roots, insects and mammals. Its fur is thick and black, with two white stripes along its body. It's well known because of the smell of its urine, used as defense (and thrown at 4m distance without missing he target). It sleeps during the day.

Puma

It's the biggest cat in our Park; it can weight up to 80kg and be 3m tall, including its tail. It can have different colours: bay, grey, red, and even black. The lonely male stays in big areas (40 t0 60 km2), walking in search for food. Children are stained at first, taking adults' colours as they grow up. They learn hunting techniques from their mother, base don being close to their prey, as they don't run fast. They eat from small mammals to cows and horses.
They are not killed by any natural predators, but man (because of their attacks to cattle). In former times, each estancia hat its own 'leonero' (they were called 'leones' [lions] in Patagonia, since Perito Moreno's times) in order to hunt them. Its fur has no commercial value.

Wild Cat

It's a little bit bigger than the common cat, and lives in forests or bushy areas. Its fur is short, with black dots, and its tail has rings. It eats rodents, fish, birds and medium size mammals. Males live in large areas, where there are many females. They can have up to 3 children at the same time, in holes in trees or natural caves.
Its fur is highly valued, as well as the one of the Pajonal Cat.

Huemul

It belongs to the deer family, and it can be 1m tall up to its withers. It is strong and has bushy eyebrows. Its fur is dark brown, but it varies according to the season. The male has yearly horns. It eats in the forest as well as in high pastures. It has only one child a year. It usually lives in groups during the winter but the female go away to have their children in the summer. It's in danger of extinction because of hunting, deforestation and diseases, got from domestic cattle. It was declared National and Provincial Natural Monument, because of its low number. It is known that it still lives in the area because of the footprints found.

Most Common Birds

Cóndor

It's the biggest bird in America (it's 3m long), and is very famous because of its majestic flight, almost without moving its wings. It can reach 10,000m height. The lower part of its body is totally black, and the upper part of its wings is white when it is already an adult. Young ones are different from adults in their white feather collar, and females differ from males in males' comb and fleshy neck. It flies forming circles, in order to find food, which consists of dead animals in the steppe. It can eat a high amount of meat at once, storing food for many days.
The tip of its wings is similar to a hand with its fingers open. They rarely stop in visible or low places, and height makes the start of its flight easier. It can be seen in Huiliche Chain of Mountains, Roca Lake, and in the way to Upsala Glacier.

Mora Eagle

The colour of its feathers varies according to its age: young ones are grey, and adults are white, with their chest grey. The male can be 65 cm long; the female can be longer. It can be found on fences. It eats carrion and small animals. It flies slowly and elides in the heights.

Choique

It's similar to the ñandú or American ostrich, but smaller, being no taller than 1m up to its withers. It eats weeds and insects, though it is a very curious animal, and when it has the opportunity, it swallows strange objects. Against any tradition, it is the father who takes care of the eggs, laid by the many female in the same nestle. It's a typical inhabitant of the steppe, easily seen from the road, as the guanaco is. It doesn't trust anything, and when it is threatened, it runs away, reaching 45kmph.

Cachaña

It lives in groups in the forest, and is very noisy.
It's the only parrot in the area. It can be seen in the forest on the way to Moreno Glacier.

Carancho

It generally eats dead animals on the roads. When it flies, its white-tip wings are easily seen. It stops on fences near roads. Its flight is slow, its legs are dark yellow, and its body is formed by black and white stripes.

Cauquén

It can be seen in couples or big groups. The male is white with dark wings, and the female is brown.
It's very similar to the goose. It eats weeds, stays near lakes or lagoons, and can be seen swimming near the coast.
It can be found in the Park and in every nearby lagoon.

Patagonian Woodpecker

It can be found in couples or family groups. The male has a red head, and the female differs from it in its curl. They are both black, with a white stain on their back.
It's very common to hear their knock on the trees, among which it moves in order to look for its food, consisting of larvae and small insects. It trusts people, and can easily be seen in the forest.

Gaviota Capucho Café

It's white, with a brown mask, and has a red beak and legs. They are easily seen at the pasarelas near the glacier, and also in Argentino Lake area, generally near rubbish and waste areas.

Chingolo

It is small, and its main feature is that it jumps instead of walking. Its crest is grey, and it has a light-brown collar. It is friendly and not wild, very easily seen at the pasarelas in front of Perito Moreno Glacier, though it lives throughout the whole National Park.

Bandurria

It lives in groups, and has a long colourful beak. The sound it makes is similar to a car horn. It lives in humid places, and migrates to warmer areas in the winter. It can also be found in El Calafate, in the streets or parks in the city centre.

Pitío

It is similar to the woodpecker, and looks for its food in trees as well as on the ground. It's friendly, noisy, and moves in groups.

Rayadito

It is small and noisy. It can be seen in groups, looking for its food among plants. Its tail is divided and it eyebrows are light-brown.

Flora

Forest Plants

Orquideas

The woods in the Park are mainly formed by nires and lengas (both of them belonging to the nothofagus family). You can also find notros and graminaceous, separated from each other or in open areas.
Within the forest there are different bushes as the chilco, parrilla, chaura and calafate. Among the yearly ones we have cacho de cabra and arvejillas.
In the most humid areas there are cinnamon trees and coihues, as well as some cypresses from guaytecas, which are very special within the Park.
In the lower part of the forest there are ferns, moss and different kinds of mushrooms. It is also common to find fallen trees in decomposition, which are a very important source of nutrition for the soil.

Ecotono's flora

This vegetation occupies the transition area between the woods and the steppe. It's basically formed by nires, sparsely located, on which branches we can find 'barba de viejo' ['old man's beard'-a kind of moss] and 'farolitos chinos' ['Chinese lamps'-also a kind of moss]. In this area, pastures are greener and fresher, taking the place of hard bushes and coirones, which cover the steppe.

Steppe's Flora

It is well-known for its lack of water, ya que are rainfalls are never over 300mm a year. Vegetation adapts itself to extreme conditions, as strong winds and cold add to the lack of water.
These features are shown in many ways, as prickles not to be attacked by animals, their involving and compact shape in order to be more resistant, or their low height, not to be destroyed by the wind.
The coiron and calafate bushes are the most common species from the east of the Park, as well as other bushes in the west as neneo, mata guanaco ['guanaco bush'], paramela and mata negra ['black bush']. The most common flowers are topa topa, geranium and alfilerillo, easily noticeable because of their bright colours, attracting bees to make their honey
Concerning trees, you'll only find poplars and willows, introduced to stop the wind in the estancias.

Touristic Activity

In the northern area

You can reach it through El Chaltén, where the best way to enjoy the variety and beauty of its landscape, flora and fauna is to make any of the following walks. The best-recommended trips are the following:

• To Cerro Fitz Roy, through Laguna Capri until Laguna de Los Tres.
• To Cerro Torre, through the mirador until Laguna Torre .

There are also many other trips around the area, paths are well traced and estimated times for each one are exact.
You can sail up Viedma Lake, and walk on the glacier, which takes its name from it.
Click here for further information.

In the southern area

It is the most famous area, visited by tourists all over the world. The most visited area is the one of the pasarelas in front of Moreno Glacier, though recent studies show that more and more tourists prefer sailing up to Upsala Glacier.
Less known, but equally recommended, we have Roca Lake area, in the south of Argentino Lake, where you'll enjoy a camping day next to the shore, in a typical southern forest.
Click here for further information.