THE 10 MOST OUTSTANDING CHILEAN ANIMALS - BIOLOGY - 2024

The main animals in Chile are the guanaco, the pudu, the ñandú and the huemul in the south; the puma, the huiña, the trompuda weasel and the scream in the center; and the chinchilla and Chilean flamenco in the north.

The animals of Chile are very varied since this country includes diverse climates and conditions throughout its extensive territory.

Chile encompasses part of the Andes mountain range, deserts, a fairly long coastline, and even a portion of the arctic region in its extreme south.

The 10 most representative animals of Chile

1- Chinchilla

Chinchillas live high up in the Andean regions of various countries in South America.

These are rodent mammals; that is, they are related to mice and guinea pigs. They look similar to these.

They are small, gray in color, with a bushy tail, large ears and thick, silky fur. Because of this skin it has been a frequent prey of human hunting.

2- Andean flamenco

Like the chinchilla, the Andean flamenco lives in very high places. It can be found in certain saline lakes more than 2000 meters above sea level.

Unlike the popular image of the flamingo, the Andean type has yellow legs and longer than normal legs. Except for this, it is very similar to other types of flamingos.

3- Puma

The cougar can be found throughout South America. It is the largest land predator in Chile.

This carnivore is found anywhere in the mountains and can grow up to 3 meters long.

The Chilean government considers it a vulnerable species as ranchers in the region have hunted it since the arrival of Europeans because these animals have a tendency to eat local livestock.

4- Huiña

Like the puma, the huiña is also a feline found in the central region of Chile. Another name for this animal is red cat.

This wild cat is small and does not reach even a meter in length, so it eats much smaller prey than the puma and is less persecuted by Chilean farmers.

5- Trumpet Weasel

It is one of the four marsupials that live in Chile. It has a long trunk, is very small and is dark in color.

It is different from many other marsupials in that it does not have the distinctive marsupial pouch to carry its young.

6- Scream

The chilla is a small gray fox. It is also popularly known in the country as the gray fox.

It can be found near rural communities in central regions of Chile.

7- Guanaco

The guanaco is an animal similar to the llama. She has reddish hair and a small head.

This mammal is found in the south of the continent and its numbers have increased considerably at the rate of the reduction of its natural predators, such as the Chilean puma.

Therefore, it is allowed to be hunted by humans in certain places and certain seasons.

8- Pudú

It is popularly known as the deer. It looks like a deer and does not exceed half a meter in length.

This deer barely weighs 10 kilos. It is dark brown in color and is also considered a vulnerable species, as its meat is coveted by humans.

9- Huemul

The huemul is a deer with an elegant and impressive appearance. It is much bigger than the pudu.

Due to its robust appearance and the striking pair of horns that the Huemul male presents, it is displayed on the country's national coat of arms.

10- Ñandú

Although there are many interesting species in the south of the country, one of the most surprising is the rhea.

This is a land bird very similar to the ostrich. It inhabits the pampas of the continent.

References

1. Chile route. (2017). Chinchilla. Recovered from rutachile.com
2. Flamingos-World. (2017). Andean flamenco. Recovered from flamingos-world.com
3. Spinozilla. (November 22, 2008). The Chilean Puma. Recovered from extincionchile.wordpress.com
4. Notes on Law. (2017). Mammal animals that inhabit Chile. Recovered from apuntes-de-derecho.webnode.cl
5. Educarchile. (2017). Chilean fauna of the southern zone. Recovered from educarchile.cl