[Above: Guanacos on the run in Argentine Patagonia.]

Journal by Chanda Baggarly

Ever heard of a guanaco, rhea, or a huemal? How about a pudu or chinchilla? Well, these are just a few of the animals one has to look out for while driving across Patagonia. Not the typical four legged obstacle we try to dodge in the US.

Although there are many of God’s beautiful creatures in Patagonia, animal life is less diverse than in other parts of South America because of the barrier to migration presented by the Andes. For more information about migration in the Andes please read Sebastian’s article about the Andes. http://www.drivearoundtheworld.com/education/sa/abouttheandes.htm

Here’s the scoop on some of the Patagonian animals:

Guanaco

Guanaco are closely related to alpaca and llama and are completely domesticated and friendly. You can walk up and pet most of them. We had several curious guanaco visit us at our campsites. Encarta Encyclopedia says they can swim too, which is not surprising because Todd and Nancy saw a few guanaco exiting a lake yesterday with their swimsuits and floaties. Even though we have seen quite a few herds of guanaco, the population is quickly diminishing because the locals use their fur and meat. Guanaco wool is course and is used to make bulky sweaters and hats.

Rhea

Rhea are ostrichlike birds. They are smaller than African ostriches and have three toes instead of two but who’s counting. The head and neck are completely covered with feathers. We have seen several dozen rhea just today. They are fast runners and I suspect they like to race---we had one running along side our car for about 200 meters. As it ran next to us it glanced our way every now and then as if to see who was driving or perhaps it was to make eye contact with its competitor, a classic antagonization tactic. We won, by the way (wooooohooo!).

Huemul

The huemul, or guemal, are part of the deer family. Haven’t seen one yet but we are on the look out. We will have to consider ourselves lucky if we do see one; they are on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Endangered Species list and they usually travel alone (not in packs) in the Southern region of Patagonia.

Pudu

Pudu are miniature deer. In fact, they are the smallest members of the deer family. We have seen only a few pudu so far. They have stout bodies covered with long, coarse, reddish-brown fur; short legs; and broad, rounded heads with small eyes and ears. They can be as tall as 17 inches high and they weigh between 13 to 29 lb. Truly a small deer.

Chinchilla

We have seen a couple chinchillas hopping on the road at night. The squirrel-like chinchillas are 9 to 11 inches long, not including their bushy tails, which can be up to 6 inches long. They have large ears and short front legs. Chinchillas use their front legs to hold the roots and grasses on which they feed; the long hind legs enable the animals to hop about with great agility. Chinchillas are also cute and I hear that they make okay pets.

Chanda
chanda@drivearoundtheworld.com

Logbook for February 8th, Day 100
Start: Perito Moreno, Argentina
Time: 9:30 a.m.
S: 46*35.740
W: 70*55.547
Finish: Tres Lagos, Argentina
Time: 9:15 p.m.
S: 49*36.020
W: 71*28.226
Mileage: 282
Notes: We departed the hotel at about 9:25 a.m. and were immediately stopped at a military checkpoint. The nice officials waved us on at 9:40, and we were on our way. At 11:13, the team pulled over for a pit stop in order to tighten the exhaust studs on each vehicle. The gravel roads here will rattle and vibrate everything loose, and nuts have to be checked and tightened regularly. While Todd and the guys were playing mechanic, I took off down the road on my bike. An hour later, they picked me up, 10.9 miles down the road. That was a fun hour. Back on the road, we spotted a condor at about 12:50. At 3:00, we caught a baby armadillo. We found a place to camp for the evening in a dry riverbed beneath some hills, and did some exploring on foot. Littering the ground all about on the hill were guanaco skeletons. Dozens of them. We found caves, and the bones were in the caves, too. We figured the pumas killed the baby guanacos and ate them in the caves. There were no fresh carcasses, so my guess is that the pumas live there in the rainy season, when the river is full. They would have shelter, readily available food, and water. Glad it isn't the rainy season! (N.O.)

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