Fauna
Land
fauna
The difficulty for the land fauna consisted in crossing
the waters separating the islands. Some animals didn't make
it. For example, patagonian hares and pumas don't exist
in Fireland. The largest land animal is the guanaco, of
the family of the lama but finer and faster. Guanacos can
easily be seen in the north and east of the island, in the
mountains and near the coasts of the Beagle Channel in winter.
The fuegian fox, the otter and some rats are also native,
mixed nowadays with the introduced species: rabbit, silver
fox, muskrat and beaver... This last animal was introduced
for its fur but nobody hunted it and it began to reproduce
taking advantage of the absence of predators. It builds
dams to settle its hut in the middle of the lake so obtained.
This attractiv animal is an amazing builder but also a plague
for the surrounding forests that it gnaws, and floods with
its dams. |
Beaver - Fireland |
Marine
fauna
Patagonia, close to Antarctic waters, has a very rich marine
fauna. Southern right whales come to Valdes Peninsula (Argentina)
for reproduction, offering fantastic aquatic ballets. Sea lions,
elephant seals and Magellanic penguins settle on the beaches to
breed. Falkland islands (Malvinas) are a privileged place for the
reproduction of subantarctic species such as king or gentoo penguins,
black - browed albatross, elephant seals or sea lions. These species
are also found in Fireland but, they generally stay on the outer
islands. In the interior of the channels, we come across sea lions
and dolphins. Fireland waters are rich in fish: delicious trout
introduced by man abound in the rivers, and in the sea cod, rock
fish, silversides... Some animals such as hake, squid, sea-urchins
and the excellent king crab, the centolla are fished on a large
scale.
Black browed albatros - Fireland |
Birds
With 197 different species, birds are the most important fauna
of Fireland. Visitors or residents they represent a wide variety
from the two largest birds in the world: the condor and the
wandering albatross to the smallest one: the firecrown. Among
them, on land, flamingos, parakeets, eagles, falcons, small
sparrows, ibis whose arrival announces the spring, and elegant
kingfishers on watch on branches or on the crosstrees of sailing
boats. Closer to the sea are oystercatchers, steamer ducks
too heavy to fly away flapping their wings on the water like
the wheels of the Mississippi steamers, shags or terns colonies,
skuas, sheathbills, Magellanic or Rockhooper penguins and
black browed albatross.
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