FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS: CHARACTERISTICS - BIOLOGY - 2024

The flora and fauna of the Falkland Islands is not very varied since the climate does not allow it. However, the vegetation is very characteristic and the fauna that survives, after a period of indiscriminate hunting, is mainly made up of marine animals.

The Falkland Islands are located on the continental shelf of South America and are made up of two large islands (Gran Malvina and Soledad) and more than 200 smaller islands or islets.

According to the United Nations (UN), it is a non-autonomous territory administered by the United Kingdom and claimed by Argentina.

It is an archipelago of approximately 12 thousand square kilometers, whose highest point is at Cerro Alberdi (or Mount Usbourne), with 705 meters above sea level.

According to the 2012 census, it is inhabited by 2931 people. The city with the highest population density is Puerto Argentino (or Puerto Stanley).

Precisely there in Stanley is located what the United Kingdom considers the capital of the British overseas territory in the Falklands.

While for Argentina, these islands are part of the South Atlantic Islands department of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands.

The 5 most representative animals of the Falkland Islands

1- Rockhopper penguin

At 55 centimeters in length, the rockhopper penguin is the smallest of the crested penguins.

It can weigh 3.35 kilograms. He is white with black and has red eyes with yellow feathered eyebrows. They live in pairs and their global population is approximately 3.5 million pairs.

It is on the list of vulnerable species, due to the progressive decline of its population.

The Falklands are also home to other species of penguins that form a colony of more than 10,000 individuals, including Magellan, Papuan and King.

2- Skúa

The skúa is a page about 58 centimeters long and 1.7 kilograms in weight. It is dark brown on top. It has a dark gray hooked beak, as do its legs.

The skúa is a bird that lives mainly in the high seas, but in mating and breeding season it establishes itself on land. It usually flies very slowly unless it is hunting.

It feeds on fish or other species of seabirds. Sometimes they also eat carrion or waste that is discarded by fishing boats.

It is usually seen in the Falklands, mainly in winter.

3- Southern right whale

When male, this species of whale has an average length of 13 to 15 meters from snout to tail. The female is usually larger. The weight of an adult specimen can reach 40 tons.

They have a characteristic that allows their individual identification: calluses 5 centimeters thick in different parts of their head.

The males of this species have the largest sex organs in the animal kingdom. They reproduce every three years and feed primarily on krill.

There are two species of right whales: the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. As they never exceed the waters of the equatorial zone, they are not found.

Their slowness to swim and their large size made them easy prey for indiscriminate hunting, which is why they are in danger of extinction.

4- Krill

Krill is the name given to a crustacean similar to a shrimp that lives in the Antarctic region.

It grows to between 1 and 2 centimeters long, which is why it is included in the diet of most marine fauna.

Krill have an exoskeleton with a transparent outer shell, two pairs of antennae, and several pairs of legs on the abdomen (thoracópods).

The number of these legs varies between their different genera and species. It is recognized by its external gills.

5- Gallareta

The coot is a species of native bird of South America of about 43 centimeters in length.

Its body is black, and its beak and wings are yellow. It has a characteristic yellow gusset and a rounded shape.

What about land mammals?

On the coasts of the Malvinas the most common is to find littoral fauna. However, there were also terrestrial mammals such as wild pigs and hares, as well as a native one that is now extinct: the guará.

The guará was an animal that looked like a mix between wolf and fox, about 90 centimeters in length between its snout and the birth of its tail.

It had a very thick fur, yellowish neck and legs, while the throat and lips were rather whitish.

Its tail was very similar to that of a fox: brownish at the base and white at the tip.

Its name is the transcription of the English «warrah», which originated in «guará» given to the animal by the gauchos from the River Plate, when comparing it with the aguará guazú.

And, according to the results of a DNA study carried out in 2009, the aguará guazú actually turned out to be a relative of the guazú.

The 4 most outstanding plants of the Falkland Islands

The flora in the Malvinas is the one that characterizes the steppes, with a predominance of low and hard grasses and bushes of cushion shrubs. Lichens and mosses abound, forming extensive peat bogs.

1- Phytoplankton

They are the autotrophic organisms of plankton with the ability to carry out photosynthesis.

This group is made up of bacteria, protists, and algae.

2- «Tussock» grass

It is a grass that can reach and even exceed two meters in height.

It is the most abundant in the islands. It is used as food for livestock.

It can also serve as a refuge for sea lions and penguins, especially when it is grouped into forests.

3- Balsam of the swamps

Also known as "varnish plant" is another of the plants that can be seen in the Falkland Islands.

Its shape and consistency resembles that of large round cushions.

4- Veronica

This is a type of climbing shrub with scented and yellow flowers. There are 15 different species of this plant.

References

1. Chronicler (2013). Life and nature in the Falkland Islands. Recovered from: cronista.com
2. Botanical Garden (1953). Notes on the vegetation of the island. Recovered from: rjb.csic.es
3. Malvinense (s / f). Flora and fauna of the Falkland Islands. Recovered from: malvinense.com.ar
4. Malvinas (s / f). The flora of the Falkland Islands. Recovered from: malvinas.pordescubrir.com
5. Being a tourist (2008). Falkland Islands, famous for its flora and fauna. Recovered from: serturista.com
6. All Argentina (s / f). Falkland Islands. Recovered from: todo-argentina.net
7. Wikipedia (s / f). Falkland Islands. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org