The flora and fauna of Chaco is represented by species such as the white carob, the viraró, the tatú carreta and the taguá, among others. Chaco is a province of Argentina, located northeast of that nation. The capital is Resistencia, also being the largest city in the province.
This region is part of the southern area of the Gran Chaco, an extensive plain that encompasses the territories of Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia. The climate is subtropical, divided into two different areas: to the east it is humid and to the center-west it is drier.
Bottle tree. Source: Mauro halpern Tagua. Source: Daderot
Within the Chaco is the Chaco National Park, which includes the Madrejones and the Chaco forest. In this, innumerable species of plants and animals that are in danger of becoming extinct are protected.
Flora of Chaco
White carob (
This South American tree is found in Argentina and the Paraguayan Chaco. In addition, it can be located in the north of Chile.
Prosopis alba can be 9 to 12 meters tall, with a diameter of about 1 meter. It has a short trunk, with a thin, grayish-brown bark. The branches of this arboreal species are thin, often extending to the ground.
The crown of the white carob tree is globular, covering up to 10 meters in diameter. Due to this, it produces a huge shade, thus making it a highly appreciated plant in the area. The leaves are bipinnate, growing from 2 to 3 at each node.
Each pinna is made up of leaflets, which can be from 25 to 40 pairs. These are erect and glabrous, with an asymmetrical base. During the winter, the plant loses all its leaves, but is not completely leafless.
The flower is small, hermaphroditic and yellowish or greenish-white in color. The flowering period occurs from August to September. The inflorescences are spiciform racemes, which appear together with the new leaves, bright green.
The fruit of the tacu, as the white carob tree is also known, is indehiscent. It contains a sweet, highly caloric pulp that can be consumed for forage or prepared as flour.
Also, this species is used for decoration and, with wood, parquet floors, doors, among others, are made.
He turned (
The viraró is a tree with a crown-like appearance, found in various regions of South America. The habitats where Ruprechtia salicifolia grows naturally are the lands near streams and rivers.
The average height is approximately 5 meters. This dioecious species has a tortuous trunk, with many branches. The lenticels, present on the branches, are visible to the naked eye.
The leaves, which measure between 10 and 15 centimeters, are simple and deciduous, with a light green color. Furthermore, they are lanceolate in shape and alternately arranged.
An attractive aspect of this plant is the fact that, in the fall, the foliage changes color. Due to this, different shades can be observed throughout the year.
In relation to the flowers, they are cream-colored. The male ones are small and grow in axillary or terminal panicles, while the female ones are grouped in clusters. The fruits are brown and diamond-shaped.
Bottle tree (
This species is native to the South American subtropical and tropical jungles. Thus, it can be found in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
The tree can be between 10 and 20 meters high, although some have been recorded that have reached a height greater than 25 meters. In the trunk, which is widened in the lower third, water is stored. This could be used by the plant in times of drought.
The trunk is covered with thorns and when the tree is young, it is green. Over time, cracked and rough streaks appear, in grayish brown tones.
As for the branches, they are thorny and grow horizontally. The leaves are compound, with serrated leaflets, in quantities that vary between five and seven.
The flowers of the palo borracho, as this species is also known, have five petals, white in the center and pink in the distal area. The fruit has an ovoid shape and a woody texture, measuring around 20 centimeters long.
Chaco fauna
Tatú carreta (
This armadillo is part of the Dasypodidae family, inhabiting the subtropical and tropical jungles of the eastern region of South America. Thus, it can be located from Venezuela to Argentina. The wagon tattoo lives in gallery forests and xerophiles, jungles and savannas.
The weight of this cingulate mammal is around 60 kilograms, measuring more than 1.6 meters from head to tail. The carapace is dark, with plates arranged in rows, arranged transversely. This bony armor, which covers the animal at the dorsal level, on the sides and on the tail, is not rigid.
The juxtaposed rigid plates are linked in the central area of the back by strips, which are not welded together. This offers the cart tattoo great flexibility in its movements. In addition, it allows it to assume various postures, such as stretching and rolling of the body, which allow it to defend itself against predators.
The head has an elongated shape, where the ears are, small in size. The legs are short and muscular. These have powerful and large nails, particularly longer on the forelegs.
The cachicamo, as this species is also known, is nocturnal. Its diet is based on worms, termites, worms, ants, among others. Also, it could eat carrion and some plants.
Taguá (
The taguá is a species of peccary that is part of the Tayassuidae family. This artiodactyl mammal is endemic to the Chaco Province.
The average length of this species is 1.1 meter. The fur of the quimilero peccary, as this animal is also known, is brown or gray. On the back it has a dark stripe, while on the shoulders and around the mouth, the hairs are white
Catagonus wagneri has a third toe on its hind leg, contrary to the other peccaries that have two.
When the taguá is scared, while escaping from the situation, it raises the hairs on its back. Likewise, it sprays the secretions produced by the dorsal glands. These are a red flag for the rest of the group. This milky substance is also used to mark trees, thus delimiting their territory.
It has diurnal habits, mainly in the morning, when it can travel in herds, made up of up to 20 peccaries. The diet is based on various species of cacti, bromeliad roots, and acacia pods. To pluck the spines, he uses his teeth, pulling them out and spitting them out.
Teyú (
This lizard belongs to the Teiidae family. It is found in the Bolivian, Argentine and Paraguayan Chaco ecozone.
The color of the species is green, with a clear longitudinal band, which runs dorsolaterally along the body. Above this it has a series of irregular spots, in a dark tone.
Males in adulthood have a blue belly. The dorsal scales are small, while the ventral ones are sub-quadrangular.
The body of this reptile is compressed transversely. The length of the teyu could reach 40 centimeters, including its long tail. It has a long, broad, non-retractable tongue, as in most lizards. In the mouth it has lateral teeth.
The green lizard, as the Teius teyou is also known, has four toes on each foot. The fifth toe, present in the rest of the Teiidae, is atrophied.
The teyu is a fast runner, which constitutes its main defense against attackers and the best weapon to capture prey.
However, it has another defense mechanism, its tail: if it is caught, it can detach. Thus, she could quickly escape the predator. Eventually, the tail could grow back.
References
- Pelegrin, Nicolas & Leynaud, Gerardo & Bucher, Enrique. (2006). Reptile fauna of the Chancaní Reserve (Arid Chaco, Argentina). Recovered from researchgate.ne.
- Phthal. Di Marco, Ezequie (2019). Prosopis alba Griseb. (Algarrobo Blanco). Recovered from forestoindustria.magyp.gob.ar
- Anacleto, TCS, Miranda, F., Medri, I., Cuellar, E., Abba, AM, Superina, M (2014). Priodontes maximus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014. Recovered from iucnredlist.org.
- Wikipedia (2019). Chaco, provice. Recovered from en.wikipedia.org.
- Encyclopedia britannica (2019). Chaco, province Argentina. Recovered from britannica.com
- Cacciali, P., Kacoliris, F., Montero, R., Pelegrin, N., Moravec, J., Aparicio, J., Gonzales, L. (2016). Teius teyou. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. Retrieved from iucnredlist.org.
- EcoRegistros (2019). Teius teyou. Recovered from ecoregistros.org.