Wildlife of Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Submitted by Danny Catt on Fri, 2007/02/23 - 10:18am.
Guanaco, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Guanaco, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Torres del Paine National Park is most famous for its glaciers, lakes and mountains but within its boundaries this diverse national park has a great variety of both flora and fauna.
Guanacos in Chile's Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park
Guanacos in Chile's Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park
The most abundant large mammal is the guanaco, a wild relative of the Llama and Alpaca found further north in the Andes of northern Chile, Peru and Ecuador.
Grey Fox, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Grey Fox, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
In terms of carnivores there are two species of fox and I had some great views of one species, the Gray Fox, on a couple of occasions. The most feared predator in the park though, at least by the Guanacos, is the Cougar (Puma concolor). The Cougar of Patagonia, also known as the Mountain Lion, is the very same species that is found in British Columbia.
In fact, the Puma has the widest distribution of any carnivore in the western hemisphere!
Buff-necked Ibis, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Buff-necked Ibis, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
There are more than one hundred species of bird in the park ranging from the flightless Lesser Rhea, to Flamingos, to the largest flying bird in the world, the Andean Condor.
Andean Condor, Patagonia, Chile
Andean Condor, Patagonia, Chile

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hi
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 9:19am.
yo man
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Buff necked Ibis!
Submitted by Shelley (not verified) on Wed, 2007/02/28 - 8:42am.

Hi Danny,

 

You've had some great adventures so far, and I've very much enjoyed your stories and photos. I can't believe you saw some buff-necked ibis and guanacos! Not to mention the Andean condor.. I look forward to seeing them all myself one day soon.

 

Keep on trekkin'

Shelley

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Hi Shelley
Submitted by Danny Catt on Sun, 2007/03/04 - 2:29pm.

Thanks for your note... I have been so fortunate to see what I have so far on this adventure. I am off to Antarctica tomorrow... and I am excited about what lies ahead. I hope you are well... and thanks for saying hello via the blog!

cheers, Danny

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I think that your blogs are
Submitted by Olivia (not verified) on Thu, 2007/03/01 - 2:03pm.
I think that your blogs are asome and we research you in my class keep your pics and blogs coming.
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Thanks Olivia
Submitted by Danny Catt on Sun, 2007/03/04 - 2:27pm.

What a nice message to receive when I am so far from home. I will do my best to keep adding blog posts and photos. I am heading south to Antarctica tomorrow and will add more stories and photos when I return. :) I hope you are well, and thanks again!

Cheers, Danny

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Wildlife Differences
Submitted by Rick Simpson (not verified) on Mon, 2007/03/05 - 11:14am.

Hi Danny,

I've een following your fascinating voyages of exploration...

 

You show a photo above of a Guanaco...What are the differences between a Guanaco, a Vicuna and an Alpaca ?

 

Safe trip to Antacrtica

 

Rick

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Guanaco vs. Vicuna vs. Alpaca
Submitted by Danny Catt on Tue, 2007/03/20 - 11:38am.

Hi Rick,

Thanks very much for your note. I am now back from an amazing visit to Antarctica. I hope all is well back in your neck of the woods. In response to your question, the Guanaco, Vicuna and Alapaca (and Llama too) are all closely related and are in fact all in the same genus (Lama). The Alpaca and Llamas are domesticated (raised for their fur and for meat) while you can find Guanacos and Vicunas in the wild (although they are also raised in some places). Alpacas are smaller than Llamas and the smallest of the group are the Vicunas. You have seen the Guanaco photo above and if I remember correctly I have a photo of a Vicuna on one of the Chile posts (Atacama Desert post I think). Vicunas are smaller and with thinner (and longer) necks than the Guanacos. Alpacas are smaller than Llamas, have shorter faces (shorter than the llamas) and pear shaped ears while the ears of Llamas are more banana shaped.

I hope this helps... and if you have any other questions feel free to ask!

Cheers

Danny 

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