Chile is a country in South America that has very varied ecosystems such as the Pacific Ocean coastline, the steep and snowy Andean Cordillera, the Atacama desert and the Antarctic ice. With such a diverse topography, it is to be expected that the animal species are equally varied, having to adapt to each of these environments. To learn more about its fauna, we invite you to meet the Chilean Animals.
Meet the Chilean Animals
South America is one of the territories with the greatest biodiversity in the world and particularly in the Chilean regions there is a very varied fauna. If you want to meet her, we invite you to learn more about this wonderful country and its animals that have had to adapt to very different natural environments. Below we will describe some of the most curious Chilean animals.
huemul
The huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) is a variety of deer with a weight of 40 to 100 kilograms, where the females are smaller than the males, which exhibit antlers. Accounts with extensive ears and an anal shield of white coloration. Its fur is a brown hue, with a slight variation according to the time of year. It can be found in Ñuble, Chiloé, Aysén and Magallanes. As a curious aspect, his image appears on the coat of arms of Chile. This animal is one of the creatures at risk of extinction in Chile.
Huillin
The huillín (Lontra provocax) is a variety of otter that lives in rivers and streams where there is abundant vegetation and wood debris. Their food consists primarily of crustaceans, fish, other marine species and waterfowl. It reaches a length of 1 to 1,5 meters and its weight is 15 to 20 kilos. It is in danger of disappearing for various reasons such as the use of its meat as food and the commercialization of its skins, as well as the devastation of its habitat due to the deforestation of forests and the contamination of water sources.
Calls
This striking mountain animal, which reaches a height of up to 120 centimeters, is one of the best known in the world because of its strange gesture of spitting when it feels threatened. Its fur is very dense and helps it withstand the low temperatures of its natural environment. Its fur is brown with darker colored legs, face and ears. The llama (Lama glama) lives in the regions of Tarapacá and Antofagasta, from 2.300 to 4.000 meters above sea level.
Puma
Another of Chile's natural animals is the puma (Puma concolor), which is considered one of the big cats worldwide. It can weigh about 80 kilograms, where females are generally smaller. Its fur is brown in color, with lighter areas on the snout and abdominal area. Its diet is very diverse since it includes birds, rodents and huge mammals such as the huemul. Its distribution area is also very extensive, populating regions of mountain ranges from 0 to 5.000 meters above sea level. It is very present from Arica to Magallanes.
Sea Wolf
This huge sea mammal, which usually lives in the water feeding on fish, occasionally needs to go ashore to reproduce. Thanks to its extremities, turned into fins to be more agile in the water, it can move clumsily on land. They have a thick layer of waterproof hair and an inner layer of fat, which helps them keep warm in cold environments. Male sea lions (Otaria flavescens) measure almost three meters in length, and exhibit thicker, more extensive hair around their heads. They are located along the entire Chilean coast.
Degu
This unusual rodent is another of Chile's native creatures, which has also been adopted as a pet and is recognized for having a tail with long brush-shaped fur at its tip. The degu (Octodon degus) has a huge head with highly developed ears and eyes, and its fur is rigid. It has diurnal habits and lives in large groups that are accommodated in underground burrows. Their diet consists of roots, pods, seeds, bark, etc. It can be located between Huasco and Rapel.
coypu
The coypu (Myocastor coypus) is a rodent of enormous size that can reach a weight of 5 to 9 kilograms. It is aquatic in nature, for which it has membranes between the fingers (interdigital membranes) that favor it when swimming. Its fur is dense and long, brown in color. Like the beavers, it makes shelters and platforms in the beds of rivers and lakes. It lives from Elqui to Malleco, up to about 1.100 meters of elevation.
I put
The colocolo (Leopardus colocolo) is a variety of feline very similar to domestic cats, but usually larger in size. The coloration of the fur of this wildcat is gray and yellowish or orange, and it exhibits spots on the back and lines on the nape, up to the shoulders. It is a creature of great agility and slenderness. It can be found in the areas of Tarapacá, Coquimbo, Concepción, Aysén and Magallanes, and others.
Little monkey from the Mount
The Dromiciops gliroides, also known as monito del monte, is a marsupial that lives in the coastal areas of the Maule area. It has light brown fur, bulging eyes, and large ears and teeth. Their main food is fruits, seeds and insects. It is a very clever creature with its legs, which makes it easier for it to get food and climb trees to escape its predators. The monito del monte lives alone, only gathering in herds of up to three copies.
Guanaco
The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is another of Chile's native creatures and is another kind of camelid familiar with the llama and alpaca. having a somewhat larger size (1,50 meters tall and weighing 150 kilograms). It has a thick and light fur, of a showy reddish hue on the dorsal areas and white on the abdominals. They gather in family groups called "harems", which are made up of a male and some fertile females, or in groups of males of different ages.
Just like llamas, they spit when they feel threatened, and their most recognized predator is the cougar. It can be found from Tarapacá to Antofagasta. Their food is plants, herbs, trees and fruits. It lives in open areas such as the pampas, the desert and the foothills. When running, it can reach a speed of up to 50 kilometers per hour.
Alpaca yarns
This is another kind of camelid, with woolly fur and a light color, which allows it to live in cold environments in high mountains. It reaches about 150 centimeters and can weigh 65 kilograms. It is a home animal, being particularly appreciated for its wool, with which quality outerwear can be made. The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) in Chile can be found in the areas of Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo.
Chinchilla
Chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) are very similar to degus, but without their typical tail. Their habits are nocturnal, for which they have huge, very sensitive mustaches. It can weigh up to 750 grams and has a modest and stocky body, which helps them conserve heat. Their food consists of a great diversity of plants. Today it is found in Aucó, in the Las Chinchillas National Reserve and in La Higuera.
chilean lizard
Among the native creatures of Chile we can also find lizards. This variety of lizard (Liolaemus chiliensis) is also known as the weeping lizard or screaming lizard. It is small in size and exhibits a greenish color with longitudinal yellowish bands that cross its back and tail. It measures about 30 centimeters in length. It can be found from Coquimbo to the Los Lagos region.
Atacama Runner Lizard
It is a variety of lizard endemic to northern Chile, currently in a vulnerable state of conservation. This lizard (Microlophus atacamensis) exhibits a brown coloration with black spots all over its body, which are usually concentrated on the sides and legs. Its size is large, measuring about 120 centimeters long. It lives in the coastal regions of Antofagasta and Atacama.
Chilote Fox
The Chilote fox, or Pseudalopex fulvipeses, is a mammal of great fame, since it was discovered by Charles Darwin during his explorations, for which it was also designated by the name of Darwin's fox. It lives in mountainous areas and forests with profuse vegetation. The Chilote fox is omnivorous, consuming modest mammals, insects, reptiles, plants, fruits, and others. It is one of the smallest foxes that can be found in Chile, since it is barely 80 centimeters long and weighs 2 to 3 kilograms.
Andean cat
The Andean cat (Oreailurus jacobita) is a feline that lives in rocky mountainous regions at 4.000 meters above sea level. It weighs up to 4 kilos and is recognized by its gray fur with brown spots surrounding its neck and back. It also has an extensive tail that comprises a third of its body. The indigenous groups in Chile considered that the Andean cat attracted good fortune, so they usually hunted it to dissect it and bring fortune to the home and the crops. Its food is modest birds and other mammals.
Arica Hummingbird
The Arica hummingbird, or Eulidia yarrellii, is one of the smallest birds in Chile and on the planet. It reaches a length of 7 to 8 centimeters, weighing from 2 to 2,5 kilos. The males of this species exhibit a bluish-purple spot on the neck, while the females are completely white. Its food is the nectar of certain flowers, although it can also catch small insects and feed on various types of fruit. It is at risk of extinction due to the devastation of its habitat and the installation of pesticides in the trees where it usually nests.
Volcano Growler
The volcano growler (Pristidactylus volcanensis) is a small lizard that lives in rocky and brushy areas 2.000 meters above sea level. Its color is gray with modest transverse darker spots. Their diet consists of insects such as spiders and other invertebrates. The volcano growler dislikes direct sun, so it always tries to hide in bushes and thickets. It is under threat due to telluric movements typical of the region, fires and climate change.
Darwin's frog
Darwin's frog, or Rhinoderma rufum, is an amphibian that is critically endangered due to environmental pollution and the alteration or loss of its natural environment, since the areas where it is located are used for agriculture. Darwin's frog is only 3 centimeters long, and gets its name because it was one of the many animal species that Charles Darwin discovered during his expeditions. It has a green color covering its entire body, except for the central area that is black.
Birds of Chile
Next, we leave you a list of the native birds of Chile, all of them being typical of this charming country:
- chilean eagle
- bandurria
- Upland Goose
- Carpenter
- Kestrel
- Chincol
- chuncho
- black necked swan
- Gay Cometocino
- Condor
- Cormorant
- Diuca
- Flamenco
- Huala
- Goldfinch
- woolly parrot
- Rhea
- juarjual duck
- shoe
- giant hummingbird
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