FLORA AND FAUNA OF RÍO NEGRO: REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES - BIOLOGY - 2025

The flora and fauna of Río Negro is represented by species such as the lenga, the ñire, the Patagonian huemul, the pudu, among others. Río Negro is one of the six provinces of Argentina that make up Argentine Patagonia. It is located in the south central zone of that country, extending, to the west, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andean mountain range and the province of Neuquén.

This region is crossed, in a northeast to southeast direction, by the Negro River. To the south, the geographic area consists of arid plateaus. To the west are the valley and the chains of lakes belonging to the Andes. In relation to the Atlantic coast, it forms the Gulf of San Matías.

Patagonian huemul. Source: magical-world Maqui. Source: Denis.prévôt

In Río Negro there are four ecosystems: the Patagonian steppe, the mountain area, the western mountain forest and the high Andean steppe. In these geographical spaces, various species of flora and fauna develop, which have adapted to the different characteristics of each region.

Flora of Rio Negro

Lenga (

This tree, which belongs to the Nothofagaceae family, is representative of the Andean Patagonian forests of Chile and Argentina.

The size may vary depending on the characteristics of the habitat. Thus, it could measure from 4 to 35 meters, with a wide base of approximately two meters in diameter. When the lenga grows in high altitude territories, close to snowy habitats, it usually appears as a medium shrub.

In relation to the leaves, they are simple and dark green in color, and can be 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters long. In addition, they are alternately arranged and elliptical in shape, with a crenate edge.

During the fall, the foliage takes on shades between yellow and red. These color changes are due to the presence of some pigments, such as anthocyanin.

The flowers of the white oak, as Nothofagus pumilio is also known, are small, monoecious, and solitary.

Ñire

The ñire is native to Chile and Argentina, where it is part of the Andean forest of Patagonia. This deciduous tree has a thin trunk, with a scaly-like bark. The height is usually between 10 and 25 meters.

The leaves are simple, with a finely serrated edge. They are green in color, turning yellow or orange during the fall months. In addition, they are presented alternately and are covered with a kind of wax, which gives them a sweet aroma and a slimy appearance.

The ñire flowers are discreet, characterized by a yellowish green hue. On the other hand, the fruit, which has a pleasant smell, measures approximately 6 millimeters. It is made up of 4 valves, which contain three walnuts inside.

Maqui (

The maqui, also called Chilean wineberry, is native to South America, inhabiting the temperate jungles of Chile and southern Argentina.

This arboreal species, a member of the Elaeocarpaceae family, is known for its fruits, which were already consumed by the Mapuches before the arrival of the Spanish. Currently, these are widely used in the food industry, in the production of juices and jams.

Aristotelia chilensis is a small tree, with a height between 4 and 5 meters. The trunk, which is divided, has a smooth bark. The branches of the maqui are flexible and thin. Its leaves are oval in shape, with serrated edges. Also, they are simple, glabrous and hanging.

One aspect that stands out in this tree is that the petiole is long and bright red, thus contrasting with the evergreen foliage.

During its flowering, which occurs in late spring, you can see the small white flowers. These give rise to fleshy and edible berries, which measure around 4 to 6 millimeters. These fruits, with a flavor similar to that of blackberries, when ripe are purple or black.

Fauna of the province of Rio Negro

Patagonian huemul (

This deer is the largest herbivore that lives in the southern Andean region. The male is a stout animal, which could weigh between 70 and 100 kilograms, with a body length of approximately 150 centimeters. In contrast, the female is thinner and smaller in size.

It has a thick and dense coat, made up of two layers. The first is long, fat-covered protective hairs. Following this is a shaggy cape. Both provide Hippocamelus bisulcus with protection against low ambient temperatures.

Generally, this cervid is dark brown in color, although during the winter it could turn a paler shade, reaching even greyish. In contrast to the predominant dark coloration of its body, the Patagonian huemul has light undersides and the underside of the tail is white.

On the face, this species has a dark stripe that starts at the nose and divides between the eyes, thus forming a pair of eyebrows.Only males have antlers, which are usually simple, bifurcating only once The limbs are short and their backs it is slightly arched.

Pudu (Pudu puda)

The pudu is a herbivorous deer, native to the Andean-Patagonian forests, located in the south of Chile and Argentina. In relation to its habitat, it usually lives in temperate, humid and cold forests. Likewise, it is distributed from sea level to approximately 1700 meters.

This South American species has a robust body. The weight could be between 7 and 10 kilograms, reaching 60 to 90 centimeters long. The head is short, where its dark eyes and two large, erect ears stake. These are separated by a group of hairs, brown or reddish in color.

In its snout, which is short, are the canines. These are characterized by being milk. The pudú lacks upper incisors, however, it has canines, premolars and molars.

The coat is made up of firm and hard hairs, thus forming a thick covering. The color is reddish-brown, however, it may darken in some areas of the body and in others, such as the neck and belly, the color changes to ocher.

Males have two small, straight, simple and sharp antlers, measuring 6 to 9 centimeters. In contrast to this, the female lacks this structure, being also smaller than the male.

Vizcacha de la Sierra (

This rodent belongs to the Chinchillidae family. It is distributed in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. It lives in tunnels, where they form groups. When the vizcacha de la sierra comes out of the burrow, the most adult male does it first, to check if there is any danger.

The fur of this species is soft and thick, with the exception of the tail, where it is hard. In the dorsal part it has a yellow or grayish coloration, while the belly is white and the tip of the tail, which is black. Its ears are long and covered with hair, highlighting a white fur border.

The hind legs are larger than the forelegs. These are very useful, since they help the animal to hold the food while consuming it. Regarding its diet, the vizcacha de la sierra mainly feeds on the grass known as ichu.

References

1. Black-Decima, PA, Corti, P., Díaz, N., Fernandez, R., Geist, V., Gill, R., Gizejewski, Z., Jiménez, J., Pastore, H., Saucedo, C., Wittmer, H. (2016). Hippocamelus bisulcus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. Recovered from iucnredlist.org.
2. Premoli, A., Quiroga, P., Souto, C., Gardner, M. (2013). Fitzroya cupressoides. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013. Recovered from iucnredlist.org.
3. Fulvio Perez, Cristian, Frutos, Nicolás, Kozykariski, Mónica, Morando, Mariana, Pérez, Daniel, Avila, LJ. (2011). Lizards of Rio Negro Province, northern Patagonia, Argentina. Recovered from researchgate.net.
4. James R. Buskirk (2008). Distribution, status and biology of the tortoise, Geochelone chilensis, in Río Negro Province, Argentina. Recovered from tandfonline.com.
5. Wikipedia (2019). Rio Negro, province. Recovered from en.wikipedia.org.
6. Encyclopedia britannica (2019). Rio Negro, Province Argentina. Recovered from britannica.com.
7. www.ultimateungulate.com (2018). Hippocamelus bisulcus. Patagonian huemul. Recovered from ultimateungulate.com