MAMMALS
in CHILE

during
Focus On Nature Tours 

1991 thru 2015

Those seen during FONT tours noted with an (*)
  

This list of Chile Mammals compiled by Armas Hill


Photo at upper right: A small, shy deer known as the SOUTHERN PUDU,
photographed during a FONT tour in southern Chile   


There have been 19 FONT tours in Chile.


Codes:

(t):     a globally threatened species, 
         designated by the IUCN  (the International Union for Conservation of Nature)  
             (t1): critically endangered     (t2): endangered     (t3): vulnerable  
(nt):   a globally near-threatened species, designated by the IUCN
    
(CHe):   an endangered in Chile
(CHt):    a threatened species in Chile   
(CHv):   a vulnerable species in Chile     
(CHi):    an introduced species in Chile

Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours in Chile     Past FONT Tour Highlights  

A List & Photo Gallery of Chile Birds, in 2 parts:
Part #1: Tinamous to Coots     Part #2: Thick-knee to Saltator 

Chilean Amphibians & Reptiles     Diverse Plant Life of Chile

South American Mammals  (with some photos)

Directory of Photos in this Website

Land Mammals:

          MONITO DEL MONTE - Family Microbiotheriidae

1. Monito del Monte  (CHt) ______  so   (also called Chiloe Colocolo Opossum) 
   Dromiciops gliroides  (the single member of its genus & family)
   CH: Monito del Monte
   
   The Monito del Monte is a primitive marsupial that lives in cool moist forests with bamboo thickets on Chiloe Island and elsewhere in nearby southern Chile.  
   
   
   AMERICAN OPOSSUMS - Family Didelphidae
   
   
2. Elegant Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum  (CHt)  _____
   Thylamys elegans
   CH: Llaca
   
   
3. White-bellied Fat-tailed Mouse Opossum  ______  (in northern Chile & Peru to central Argentina)
   Thylamys pallidior
   
   
   SHREW-OPOSSUMS - Family Caenolestidae
   
   
4. Chilean Shrew-Opossum  (CHe)  ______  so  (also called Long-snouted Rat Opossum; another name is Long-nosed Caenolestid)  
   Rhyncholestes raphanurus  
   CH: Comadrejita trompuda
   
   
   ARMADILLOS - Family Dasypodidae
   
   
5. Pichi  (CHv)  _____
   Zaedyus pichiy  (the single member of its genus)
   CH: Pichi, or Quirquincho pequeno
   
   
6. Larger Hairy Armadillo  (CHt)  ______  (also called Patagonian Hairy Armadillo, or Big Hairy Armadillo)  
   Chaetophractus villosus
   CH: Quirquincho grande
   
   
7. Andean Hairy Armadillo  (CHe)  _____
   Chaetophractus nationi
   CH: Quiquincho de la puna
   
   
   HARES & RABBITS - Family Leporidae
   
   
8. European Hare  (CHin) (*)  ______  so
   Lepus europaeus
   CH: Liebre
   
   
9. European Rabbit  (CHin) (*)  ______  ca
   Oryctolagus cuniculus  (the single member of its genus)
   CH: Conejo
   
   
   BEAVER - Family Castoridae
   
   
10. American Beaver  (CHin) (ph)  ______  
    Castor canadensis
    CH: Castor
    
    The American Beaver was introduced in Tierra del Fuego in 1946 by Argentine fur breeders. When the fur industry declined, animals from that trade went into the wild. They spread north from the Strait of Magellan into the Andean forests of southern Chile, and they have colonized on many of the Fuegian islands.   
    
    
    MICE, RATS, and allies - Family Muridae 
    
    NEOTROPICAL MICE - Subfamily Sigmodontinae
    
    
    AKODONTS (Akodontini) are as large tribe, of 106 species, of small to medium-sized field mice and grass mice, distributed mainly in the southern half of South America.
    They are adapted to terrestrial and semi-fossorial life, and they have a tail shorter than their head and body length. 
    
    
11. White-bellied Grass Mouse ______  (also called White-bellied Akodont)
    Akodon albiventer
    CH: Raton ventriblanco
    
    
12. Hershkovitz's Grass Mouse   ______  (in steppe and coastal forests of islands of southern Chile Archipelago) 
    Akodon hershkovitzi
    
    
13. Markham's Grass Mouse  ______  (also called Wellington Akodont) (on Isla Wellington in Magallanes Province)
    Akodon markhami
    
    
14. Olive Grass Mouse  ______  (also called Olive-colored Akodont) (in brush & grasslands of northern & central Chile)
    Akodon olivaceus
    CH: Raton olivaceo
    
    
15. Woolly Grass Mouse  ______  (also called Wooly Akodont) (in cool damp forests of extreme southern Chile & Argentina)
    Abrothrix lanosus
    CH: Raton colorado
    
    
16. Long-haired Grass Mouse  (*)  ______  (also called Long-haired Akodont)  (in forests, brush, & grasslands of central & southern Chile, and southwest Argentina)   
    Abrothrix longipilis 
    CH: Ratoncito lanudo
    
    
17. Sanborn's Grass Mouse  ______  (also called Sanborn's Akodont)  (in forests of Los Lagos region of south-central Chile & in adjacent southwest Argentina)
    Abrothrix sanborni
    CH: Raton negruzco
    
    
18. Yellow-nosed Grass Mouse  ______  (also called Yellow-nosed Akodont) 
    Abrothrix xanthorhinus 
    CH: Raton hocico bayo
    
    
19. Andean Altiplano Mouse  ______  (also called Andean Akodont)
    Chroeomys (or Abrothrix) andinus
    CH: Raton andino
    
    
20. Andean Long-clawed Mouse  (CHe)  ______   (also called Andean Long-clawed Akodont, or Shrub Mole-Mouse) Chelemys macronyx
    CH: Raton topo grande
    
    
21. Large Long-clawed Mole-Mouse  (CHt) ______  (also called Large Long-clawed Akodont, or Magellan Shrub Mole-Mouse) (in humid soils of central & southern Chile; endangered)
    Chelemys megalonyx
    
    
22. Chelemys delfini  ______  (in area of Strait of Magellan)
    CH: Raton topo del Estrecho de Magallanes
    
    
23. Long-clawed Mole-Mouse  (CBt)  ______  (also called Valdivian Long-clawed Mole-Mouse) (in rainforests, marshes, & meadows of south-central Chile, including Chiloe Island, and in southwest Argentina)
    Geoxus valdivianus  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Raton topo valdiviano
    
    
24. Pearson's Long-clawed Mouse  ______  
    Pearsonomys annectens  (the single member of its genus)
    
    
25. Long-tailed Pygmy Rice Rat  _____  (also called Long-tailed Colilargo)
    Oligoryzomys longicaudatus
    CH: Raton colilargo
    
    
26. Magellanic Pygmy Rice Rat  _____  (also called Patagonian Colilargo) (in southern Chile & Argentina)
    Oligoryzomys magellanicus
    
    
27. Andean Vesper Mouse  ______  (also called Graceful Laucha)  (in Chile, in the north)
    Calomys lepidus
    CH: Lauchita andina
    
    
28. Andean Gerbil-Mouse  ______  (also called Altiplano Laucha)  (in Chile, in the north from Arica to Atacama)
    Eligmodontia puerulus
    CH: Ratoncito de pie sedoso
    
    
29. Morgan's Gerbil-Mouse  ______  (also called Western Patagonian Laucha)  (in Chile, in the south)
    Eligmodontia morgani
    
    
30. Highland Gerbil-Mouse  ______
    Eligmodontia typus
    
    
31. Darwin's Leaf-eared Mouse   _____  (also called Darwin's Pericote) (forests & brush of coastal central Chile)
    Phyllotis darwini
    CH: Lauchon orejudo de Darwin
    
    
32. Narrow-toothed Leaf-eared Mouse _____  (west slope of the Andes in northern Chile)
    Phyllotis limatus
    
    
33. Master Leaf-eared Mouse _____
    Phyllotis magister
    
    
34. Osgood's Leaf-eared Mouse _____  fn  (in the Andean altiplano in Arica province) 
    Phyllotis osgoodi
    
    
35. Yellow-rumped (or Patagonian) Leaf-eared Mouse _____  so  (also called Yellow-rumped Pericote)
    Phyllotis xanthopygus
    CH: Lauchon orejudo austral
    
    
36. Southern Big-eared Mouse _____ so  (also called Southern Pericote)
    Loxodontomys micropis  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Pericote andino 
    
    
37. Bolivian Big-eared Mouse _____ fn  (also called Bolivian Pericote, or Puna Mouse)
    Auliscomys boliviensis
    CH: Raton orejudo
    
    
38. Andean Big-eared Mouse _____  (also called Lofty Pericote)  (in Chile, in the north; on open rocky slopes of high altiplano) 
    Auliscomys sublimis
    CH: Pericote andino
    
    The Lofty Pericote (or Andean Big-eared Mouse) occurs up to 19,700 feet above sea level, one of the highest elevations for a mammal in the Western Hemisphere.  
    
    
39. Garlepp's Mouse _____  (in Chile, in the north; in arid areas of high Andean altiplano)
    Galenomys garleppi
    
    
40. Altiplano Chinchilla-Mouse  (CHe)  ______  (also called Highland Chinchilla-Mouse) 
    Chinchillula sahamae
    CH: Laucha chinchilla, or Achallo
    
    
41. Andean Mouse _____  (in Chile, in the north)
    Andinomys edax  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Rata andina
    
    
42. Chilean Climbing Mouse _____  (another name is Large-footed Irenomys) (in dense wet forests with bamboo thickets in south-central Chile & southwest Argentina)
    Irenomys tarsalis  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Rata arborea chilena
    
    
43. Patagonian Chinchilla-Mouse _____  fs  (another name is Tierra del Fuego Euneomys) (in southern Chile)
    Euneomys chinchilloides 
    CH: Rata sedosa fueguina
    
    
44. Biting Chinchilla-Mouse _____  ca  (in central Chile & west-central Argentina)
    Euneomys mordax
    
    
45. Peterson's Chinchilla-Mouse _____  (in southern Chile & Argentina)
    Euneomys petersoni
    
    
46. Andean Swamp Mouse (or Rat) ______  (also called Red-nosed Neotomys) (in Chile, in the north)
    Neotomys ebriosus  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Raton ebrio
    
    
47. Bunny Rat _____  (also called Hairy-soled Coney Rat) (in open grasslands & brush of southern Chile, Argentina, & Uruguay)
    Reithrodon auritus   
    CH: Rata conejo
    
    
    GUINEA-PIGS & CAVIES - Family Caviidae
    
    
    Cavies are South American rodents with stout or elongated bodies and very small or vestigial tails. Their eyes and ears are rather large.  
    
    
48. Common Yellow-toothed Cavy  (CHt) ______  (also called Highland Cavy)  (in northern Chile)
    Galea musteloides
    CH: Cuy de dientes amarillos  
    
    
49. Southern Mountain Cavy  (CHt)  ______  so  (also called Southern Dwarf Cavy, or Least, or Lesser Cavy)   
    Microcavia australis
    CH: Cuy Chico, or Cuy de los Salitres 
    
    
50. Montane Guinea-Pig  (CHt)  ______ fn  (in Chile, in the Andes of Arica and Tarapaca; also in Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, found in wet meadows with scattered rocks from about 6,500 to 12,450 feet above sea level)
    Cavia tschudii
    CH: Cuy serrano
    
    The wild Montane Guinea-Pig is probably the ancestor of the Domestic Guinea-Pig, which is commonly kept as a pet in many countries and is widely used in scientific research. 
    
    Guinea-Pigs have been named for their pig-like squealing sounds. The word "guinea" may derive from the guinea: a gold coin that was the price of the animal when it was first marketed in England. Or, it may possibly refer to Guineamen (from Guyana), the slave traders who were among the first to bring the animals from South America to England.
    
    In the Andes of South America, the Incas selectively bred the Montane Guinea-Pig, or the "Cuy serrano", to show a wide variety of colors. They also raised it for use in sacred rites, as the animal figured in their altiplano ceremonies and rituals. 
    
    Today, Guinea-Pigs are kept by people in the high Andes as a source of meat and an item barter. A mated pair is a typical household gift to newlyweds, guests, or children. The animals are usually kept in the household kitchen where they are permitted to run about freely. Adobe hutches (known as cuyeros) are provided for the animal's shelters. Women and children are the primary caregivers.      
    
     
    
    DEGUS & TUCO-TUCOS - Family Octodontidae  (53 species, mostly in Argentina & Chile)
    
    
    Octodonts (Octodontidae) are rat-like, ground-dwelling or burrowing herbivores, mostly in the Andes Mountains of South America. They have dense silky hair with a well-developed undercoat. 
    Octodonts are gray or brown, except for the Coruro, which is black. 
    
    The Tuco-tucos are large, burrowing rodents, endemic to South America, ranging from Peru to Tierra del Fuego, with discontinuous distribution into eastern Brazil.
    The name Tuco-tuco is from the call of the animals, sounded in their burrows. 
    Tuco-tucos have a robust, cylindrical body and a large head with small ears and small eyes. The eyes are near the top of the head.          
    
    
51. Coruro  (CHe) (*) ______  so  (also called Maulean Coruro) (this rare animal was seen during a FONT tour on Chiloe Island)
    Spalacopus cyanus  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Coruro
    
    
52. Chilean Rock Rat  (CHt)  ______  cc  (also called Great Rock Rat) (in the high Andes from Maule to Los Lagos; also in adjacent Argentina)
    Pithanotomys (or Aconaemys) fuscus
    CH: Tunduco, or Rata de las pinares
    
    
53. Sage's Rock Rat _____ (in central Chile in Malleco Province; also in adjacent Argentina)
    Pithanotomys (or Aconaemys) sagei
    
    The Sage's Rock Rat is a recently discovered species.
    
    
54. Porter's Rock Rat  ______  (occurs from Volcan Villarica to Puyehue in Los Lagos, and in adjacent Argentina)
    Pithanotomys (or Aconaemys) porteri
    
    
55. Bridges' Degu  (CHv)  _____
    Octodon bridgesi
    CH: Degu de los matorrales
    
    
56. Common Degu (*) _____  (endemic to Chile)
    Octodon degus
    CH: Degu comun
    
    Degus live in colonies in the sclerophyll woodland. They do not hibernate. 
    
    Degus dig communal galleries which have multiple entries that are hidden by bushes and low trees. The tunnels have separate latrine areas, nesting chambers, and storage areas where food is cached for the winter. Sticks, stones, and droppings deposited at the burrow entrance are territorial markers.
      
    
57. Moon-toothed Degu  (CHv)  ______  (also called Coastal Degu) (in coastal mountains of Coquimbo and Valparaiso)  
    Octodon lunatus
    
    
58. Isla Mocha Degu _____  (also called Pacific Degu; a newly-described species only on Isla Mocha)
    Octodon pacificus
    
    
59. Mountain Degu (*) _____  (also called Chozchoz) (In Chile, in the high Andes of Arica and Tarapaca)
    Octodontomys gliroides
    CH: Rata cola pincel 
    
    
60. Tawny Tuco-tuco  ______ 
    Ctenomys fulvus robustus  ______  (at Pica in Tarapaca)
    CH: Tuco-tuco del Tamarugal
    Ctenomys f. fulvus  ______  (in mountain desert oases with sandy soil from Arica to Atacama; occurs from 3600 to 12,150 feet above sea level)
    CH: Tuco-tuco de Atacama 
    
    
61. Coyhaique Tuco-tuco _____
    Ctenomys coyhaiquensis
    
    
62. Magellanic Tuco-tuco  (CHe) (*)  _____  (from Aisen to Tierra del Fuego, occurring from sea level to 500 feet)
    Ctenomys magellanicus
    CH: Tuco-tuco de Magallanes
    
    
63. Maule Tuco-tuco _____  (in Chile, from Maule to Valdivia)
    Ctenomys maulinus
    CH: Tuco-tuco de Maule
    
    
64. Highland Tuco-tuco  ______  (in Chile, on high Andean steppes of Arica and Tarapaca, from 8,200 to 16,500 feet above sea level) 
    Ctenomys opimus
    CH: Tuco-tuco de la puna
    
    
    SPINY RAT - Family Echimyidae
    
    
65. Coypu  (*) (ph) ______  cc  (also called Nutria)    
    Myocastor coypus  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Coipo
    
    
    
    Coypu (or Nutria)
    (photo, during a FONT tour, by Marie Gardner)
    
    
    MUSKRAT - Family Arvicolinae
    
    
66. Muskrat  (CHin)  (*)  _____ fs (tf)
    Ondatra zibethicus
    CH: Rata almizizclera
    
    
    CHINCHILLAS & VISCACHAS - Family Chinchillidae
    
    The first chinchilla that was exported from Chile went to the London Zoo in 1820. Later, another went to the Hamburg Zoo in 1865. 
    Commercial breeding began in 1918 after Mathias Chapman, an American engineer for the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., obtained permits to collect chinchillas in the Andes.
    Chinchilla numbers had been so reduced by overhunting by that time that it took a team of 23 men 3 years to find 11 suitable animals! It took another year to slowly bring the animals down from the Andes and acclimate them to their new surroundings.
    The chinchillas were then carried by ship to California. By the time they arrived in Los Angeles in February 1923, the first young had been born onboard.
    Thus began the chinchilla farming and pet trade in North America.
    
    
    
    The Chinchillas in Chile in the list below 
    are the wild cousins of those kept as pets,
    such as the animal above, in Canada.
    Notice the pudgy face!   
    
    
67. Short-tailed Chinchilla  (CHe) (*) (ph)  ______ fn  (in the Andes of Arica-Antofagasta)
    Chincilla brevicaudata 
    CH: Chincilla Grande, or Chinchilla del Altiplano
    
    
    
    Above & below: Short-tailed Chinchillas photographed during FONT tours in Chile.
    
    
    
    
    
68. Long-tailed Chinchilla  (CHe)  ______  (endemic to Chile)
    Chinchilla lanigera
    CH: Chinchilla chilena
    
    Most Long-tailed Chinchillas are restricted to Coquinbo at Las Chinchillas Reserve in the Choapa Valley northeast of Illapel, occurring from 3600 to about 5600 feet above sea level.  
    
    
69. Southern Viscacha  (CHv) (*) (ph)  ______ ca  fn        
    Lagidium viscacia
    CH: Chinchillon Comun, or Vizcachon, or Vizcacha de la Sierra 
    
    Lagidium viscacia was called the Mountain Viscacha until it was split to be the Southern Viscacha and further north in Peru and possibly Bolivia, the Northern Viscacha, Lagidium peruanum.  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Two photos above of what has been called the Mountain Viscacha, both taken during FONT tours. 
    This animal has been seen during our tours in Argentina & Chile.
    It's an odd creature, with a tail like that of a squirrel, and a head like that of a rabbit.
     
    
70. Wolffsohn's Viscacha  _____  (in extreme southern Chile, in Magallanes, and in southwest Argentina)
    Lagidium wolffsohni 
    CH: Chinchillon anaranjada
    
    The Wolffsohn's Viscacha is larger than the "Mountain" (the Southern & Northern) Viscachas. Its coloration is golden-brown and it has short black ears. 
    
    
    CHINCHILLA-RATS - Family Abrocomidae
    
    
    Chinchilla-Rats are mid-sized rodents that have stiff hairs projecting over the nails of the three central digits of the hind feet. Other features are short limbs, a pointed snout, large ears, and a fairly short and tapering tail.
    
    
71. Bennett's Chinchilla-Rat  ______ cc
    Abrocoma bennettii
    CH: Raton chinchilla comun
    
    
72. Ashy Chinchilla-Rat  _____  fn  (lives in small colonies and digs tunnels at the base of boulders and shrubs in arid rocky places in the high Andes of northern Chile, up to 16,500 feet above sea level.) 
    Abrocoma cinerea
    
    The Ashy Chinchilla-Rat is smaller than the Bennett's Chinchilla-Rat and has a much shorter tail. 
    
    
    CATS - Family Felidae
    
    
73. Geoffroy's Cat  (*)  _____  fs  (in Chile, from Los Lagos to Magellanes; in the eastern Andes from Bolivia to Patagonia)
    Leopardus (or Oncifelis) geoffroyi
    CH: Gato montes
    
    
74. Colocolo  (CHe)  ______  
    Leopardus (or Oncifelis) colocolo
    CH: Colocolo
    
    The Colocolo was so named by the 18th century naturalist Juan Molina after an Araucanian warrior, Colocolo.
    
    
75. Kodkod  (v)  (*)  _____  so  (also called the Austral Spotted Cat)  
    Leopardus (or Oncifelis) guigna
    CH: Gato huina, or Guigna
    
    In Chile, the Kodkod ranges from Biobio to Aisen, especially in Chiloe and the Guaitecas. It is also in southwest Argentina. it occurs in bamboo thickets in Araucarian and Valdivian rainforests, from sea level to 8,200 feet.
    
    The Kodkod is classified as vulnerable due to deforestation.  
     
    
76. Pampas Cat  (CHe)  _____  (ranges on the eastern slopes of the Andes)
    Leopardus (or Lynchailuraus) pajeros
    CH: Gato de las pampas, or Gato pajonal
    
    
77. Andean Mountain Cat  (CHt)  _____ 
    Leoparduss (formerly Oreailurus) jacobitus
    CH: Gato montes andino
    
    
78. Puma _____ 
    Felis  (formerly Puma) concolor
    CH: Puma
    
    
    FOXES - Family Canidae
    
    
79. Colpeo Fox (*) ______ fs (tf)
    Lycalopex culpaeus
    (has also been Pseudalopex, or Dusicyon culpaeus)
    CH: Zorro colorado, or Zorro rojo
    (On Tierra del Fuego called "Fuegian Fox", Lycalopex c. magellanicus) 
     
    
80. South American Gray Fox  (*) (ph)  ______  ca, so, fs  (also called Pampas Fox)    
    Lycalopex griseus
    (has also been Pseudalopex, or Dusicyon gymnocercus, including P. griseus) 
    CH: Chilla, or Zorro gris, or Zorro patagonico
    
    
    
    A South American Gray Fox photographed during the November 2009 FONT tour in Chile  
    (photo by Robert Hinz)
    
    
81. Darwin's Fox  (t1) (CHe) (ph)  ______  so  (has also been called Chiloe Fox; was said to be a darker form of the Pampas Fox)
    Lycalopes fulvipes
    (has also been Pseudalopex, or Dusicyon gymnocercus fulvipes)  
    CH: Zorro chilote
    
    The Darwin's Fox was known from only a specimen collected by Charles Darwin in 1833, until it was rediscovered in 1922. It is now considered a relict species confined to patches of old growth Valdivian forest in Los Lagos and Araucania. It is a critically endangered species.  
    
    
    
    Darwin's or Chiloe Fox
    
    
    OTTERS - Family Mustelidae
    
    
82. Marine Otter  (CHv) (*) _____   (also called Southern Sea Otter)  (rocky coasts from Peru to southern Chile; also in southern Argentina) 
    Lutra  (formerly Lontra) felina
    CH: Nutria marina, or Nutria del Mar, or Chungungo
    
    
    
    A Marine Otter photographed during the FONT Chile Tour in November 2011  
    (photo by Frank Stermitz)
    
    
83. Southern River Otter  (CHe) (*)  ______  (rocky coasts, lakes, and streams in southern Chile) 
    Lutra (formerly Lontra) provocax 
    CH: Huillin 
    
    
    SKUNKS & ALLIES - Family Mustelidae
    
    
84. Molina's Hog-nosed Skunk  ______  (in northern & central Chile)
    Conepatus chinga
    CH: Chinque comun
    Conepatus chinga rex  _____  (largest subspecies, with tail entirely black; resident on the altiplano up to 16,500 feet) 
    CH: Chinque real 
    
    
85. Humboldt's Hog-nosed Skunk  (*) ______  fs  (also called the Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk)   
    Conepatus humboldti 
    CH: Chinque de la Patagonia, or Zorrino Patagonico, Zorrino Austral
    
    
86. Patagonian Weasel  (CHv)  ______  so
    Lyncodon patagonicus  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Huroncito
    
    
87. Lesser Grison  (CHv) (*) (ph) ______  cc  (in Chile, from Coquimbo to Los Lagos)
    Galictis cuja
    CH: Quique
    
    
    
    Looking down from a bridge on a Lesser Grison as it goes into the woods,
    during the FONT tour in central & southern Chile in November 2011.
    Another photo of a Lesser Grison below. 
    (above photo by Frank Stermitz)
    
    
    
    
    
88. American Mink  (CHin) (ph)  ______  (native to North America; has spread from Argentina into southern Chile)
    Neovison (Mustela) vison   
    
    
    BATS - Order Chiroptera
    
    
    NEOTROPICAL LONG-NOSED BATS - Family Phyllostomidae 
    
    
89. Common Vampire Bat ______ cc  (in Chile, from Arica to Valparaiso; also Mexico to northern Argentina) 
    Desmodus rotundus  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Vampiro comun
    
    
    SMOKY BATS - Family Furipiteridae 
     
    
90. Smoky Thumbless Bat _____  (extreme northwest Chile)
    Amorphochilus schnablii  (the single member of its genus)
    CH: Murcielago de Schnabel
    
    
    FREE-TAILED BATS - Family MOLOSSIDAE
    
    
91. Mexican (or Brazilian) Free-tailed Bat  (ph)  ______  (in Chile, from Arica to Valdivia; also from the southern USA to Argentina - occurs from sea level to 3,250 feet)
    Tadarida brasiliensis
    CH: Murcielago cola de raton
    
    
92. Kalinowski's Mastiff Bat ______  (northern Chile)
    Mormopterus kalinowskii
    
    
    VESPER BATS - Family VESPERTILIONIDAE
     
    
93. Chilean Myotis  (*)  _____ cc,so  (also called Chilean Mouse-eared Myotis) (the southernmost bat)
    Myotis chiloensis
    CH: Murcielago oreja de raton del sur
    
    
94. Atacama Myotis  ______  (roosts in caves in coastal deserts from Arica to Coquimbo; also in Peru - occurs from sea level to 7,875 feet) 
    Myotis atacamensis
    CH: Murcielago oreja de raton del norte
    
    
95. Big-eared Brown Bat  ______  (in Chile, from Arica to Biobio; from sea level to the high Andes)
    Histiotus macrotus
    CH: Murcielago orejon grande
    
    
96. Small Big-eared Brown Bat  ______  (in Chile, from Valparaiso to Tierra del Fuego; widespread in South America in savanna and woodlands, at all elevations) 
    Histiotus montanus
    
    
97. Southern Big-eared Brown Bat  ______  (in southern Chile & southern Argentina)
    Histiotus magellanicus
    
    
98. Hoary Bat  ______  (in Chile, from Arica to Tierra del Fuego; in the summer migrates southward and ascends into the high Andes) 
    Lasiurus cinereus
    CH: Murcielago gris
    
    
99. Red Bat  ______   (in Chile, from Coquimbo to Magallanes; in woodlands, orchards from sea level to 5,000 feet)
    Lasiurus blossevillii
    CH: Murcielago colorado
    
    
    PIGS - Family Suidae
    
    
100. European Wild Boar  (CHin) ______  
     Sus scrofa ferus
     CH: Jabali 
     
     The European Wild Boar was introduced into Argentina where it interbred with domestic pigs. It has spread into southern Chile, where boar hunting is now practiced.
     
     
     LAMOIDS (CAMELS) - Family Camelidae
     
     
101. Guanaco  (CHv) (*) (ph)  ______  fn,fs  
     Lama guanicoe
     CH: Guanaco
     
     
     
     A Guanaco photographed during a FONT tour. This animal has been
     seen during our tours in both Argentina & Chile.
       
     
102. Vicuna  (CHv) (*) (ph) ______  fn  
     Vicugna vicugna
     CH: Vicuna
     
     
     
     Vicunas photographed during a FONT tour. This animal has been seen 
     during our tours in northwest Argentina & in northern Chile.
        
     
103. Llama  (*)  ______  fn  (a domesticated animal)
     Lama glama
     CH: Llama
     
     
104. Alpaca  (*) _____  fn   (a domesticated animal)
     Vicugna pacos
     CH: Alpaca
     
     
     Some Notes about the South American Lamoids
     (the Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco, Vicuna)
     
     There are 4 species of South American Lamoids. 2 are wild (the Vicuna and the Guanaco). 2 are domesticated (the Llama and the Alpaca). In Argentina: 8% of the South American Lamoids, and 96% of the Guanacos. 
     
     Combined there are an estimated 7.7 million of these animals, with 53% in Peru, 37% in Bolivia, 8% in Argentina, and 2% in Chile.
     The domestic Llamas and Alpacas (91% of the total) are far more numerous than the wild Guanacos and Vicunas (9%). Llamas (3.7 million) are slightly more abundant than Alpacas (3.3 million) and Guanacos (575,000) are much more common than Vicunas (85,000).
     Most Alpacas (91%) and Vicunas (72%) are in Peru, and the majority of Llamas (70%) are in Bolivia, and nearly all of the Guanacos (96%) are in Argentina. 
     The Guanaco has been decreasing during recent years due to hunting and competition with livestock. The Vicuna was reduced to a dangerously low population in the 1960's, but the species is now recovering under protection.
     
     
     
     DEER - Family Cervidae
     
     
105. Perrvian Guemal  (t3) (CHv) (*) (ph) ______  fn  (also called the Northern Andean Deer, or Taruca) 
     Hippocamelus antisensis  
     CH: Huemal del norte
     
     
     
     A Peruvian Guemal photographed during a FONT tour in the Andes in northern Chile.
      
     
106. Chilean Guemal  (t2) (CHe) ______  (also called the Southern Andean Deer) 
     Hippocamelus bisulcus
     CH: Huemul chileno
     
     "Huemul" is said to be from a Mapuche word meaning "to follow another".
     
     
107. Southern Pudu  (t3) (CHv) (*) (ph)  ______ so   (the Northern Pudu occurs in Colombia, Ecuador, & Peru)
     Pudu pudu
     CH: Pudu
     
     
     
     Southern Pudu
     
     
     Marine Mammals:
     
     
     EARED SEALS - Family Otariidae
     
     
108. South American Sea Lion (*) (ph)  ______ so,fs (tf)
     Otaria flavescens  (the single member of its genus)
     CH: Lobo de un pelo, or Lobo marino austral
     
     
     
     South American Sea Lions at a riverside fish market in the southern Chilean city of Valdivia.
     photographed during the FONT Chile Tour in November 2011  
     (photo by Frank Stermitz)
     
     
109. South American Fur Seal ______ fs (tf)  
     Arctocephalus australis
     CH: Lobo de dos pelos, or Lobo fino Patagonico 
     
     
     EARLESS SEALS - Family Phocidae
     
     
110. Southern Elephant Seal  (ph)  ______ 
     Mirounga leonina
     CH: Elefante marino austral
     
     The Southern Elephant Seal is the largest seal in the world. 
     
     
     
     MARINE DOLPHINS, including PILOT WHALES & ORCAS - Family Delphinidae
      
     
111. Chilean Dolphin  (also called Black Dolphin) ______   
     Cephalorhynchus eutropia 
      
     
112. Short-beaked Common Dolphin (*) (ph)  _____ fn
     Delphinus delphis
     
     
113. Bottlenose Dolphin  (ph)  ______
     Tursiops truncatus
     
     
114. Southern Rightwhale Dolphin ______
     Lissodelphis peronii
     
     
115. Commerson's Dolphin  (*) (ph)  ______  fs
     Cephalorhynchus commersonii
     
     
     
     Commerson's Dolphin
     
     
     
116. Dusky Dolphin  (ph)  ______  fs
     Lagenorhynchus obscurus
     CH: Delfin Oscuro
     
     
     
     Dusky Dolphins photographed during a FONT tour
     
     
117. Peale's Dolphin (*) (ph)  ______ fs (tf)
     Lagenorhynchus australis
     CH: Delfin Griseoblanco
     
     
     
     A Peale's Dolphin in Chilean waters
     (photo by Cameron Rutt)
     
     
118. Hourglass Dolphin  ______
     Lagenorhynchus cruciger 
     
     
119. Risso's Dolphin  (ph)  ______
     Grampus griseus  (the single member of its genus) 
     
     
120. Long-finned Pilot Whale  (ph)  ______
     Globicephala melas
     
     
121. Pygmy Killer Whale  ______
     Feresa attenuata  (the single member of its genus)
     
     
122. Killer Whale  (also called Orca) (ph)  ______
     Orcinus orca  (the single member of its genus)
     CH: Orca 
     
     
123. False Killer Whale  ______
     Pseudorca crassidens  (the single member of its genus)
     CH: Orca falsa 
     
     
     PORPOISES - Family Phocoenidae
     
     
124. Burmeister's Porpoise  ______
     Phocoena spinipinnis
     CH: Marsopa spinosa
     
     
125. Spectacled Porpoise  ______
     Australophocaena dioptrica  (the single member of its genus)
     CH: Marsopa de anteojos
     CH: Marsopa de anteojos 
     
     
     WHALES 
     
     
     SPERM WHALES - Families Physeteridae & Kogiidae  
     
     
126. Great Sperm Whale  (also called Cachalote)  (ph)  ______   
     Physeter macrocephalus  (the single member of its genus & family)
     CH: Ballena esperma
     
     
127. Dwarf Sperm Whale  (ph)  ______
     Kogia simus
     
     
     BEAKED WHALES - Family Ziphidae
     
     
128. Southern Bottlenose Whale  ______
     Hyperoodon planifrons  
     
     
129. Hector's Beaked Whale  ______
     Mesoplodon hectori
     
     
130. Strap-toothed Whale  (also called Layard's Beaked Whale)  ______
     Mesoplodon layardii
     
     
131. Shepherd's Beaked Whale  ______
     Tasmacetus shepherdi  (the single member of its genus)
     
     
132. Cuvier's Beaked Whale  (ph)  ______
     Ziphius cavirostris 
     
     
     RIGHT WHALES - Family Balaenidae 
     
     
133. Southern Right Whale  ______
     Eubalaena australis
     CH: Ballena franca austral
     
     
     PYGMY RIGHT WHALE - Neobalaenidae
     
     
134. Pygmy Right Whale  ______
     Caperea marginata  (the single member of its genus)
     CH: Ballena franca pigmea 
     
     
     RORQUALS - Family Balaenopteridae
     
     
135. Humpback Whale  (ph)   ______
     Megaptera novaeangilae  (the single member of its genus)
     CH: Jorobada 
     
     
136. Antarctic (or Southern) Minke Whale  ______
     Balaenoptera bonaerensis
     CH: Ballena enana sin mancha blanca
     
     
137. Dwarf Minke Whale  ______
     Balaenoptera acutorostrata
     CH: Ballena enana
     
     The Dwarf Minke Whale is considered either a Southern Hemisphere species or a subspecies of the Northern Minke Whale.
     
     
138. Sei Whale  ______  (globally endangered)
     Balaenoptera borealis
     CH: Ballena boreal
     
     
139. Bryde's Whale  ______
     Balaenoptera edeni
     
     
140. Fin Whale  (ph)  ______
     Balaenoptera physalus
     CH: Rorcual comun
     
     
141. Blue Whale  (ph)  ______  (globally endangered)
     Balaenoptera musculus intermedia
     CH: Rorcual azul
     
     Pygmy Blue Whale  ______  
     Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda
     
     The Pygmy Blue Whale is a poorly known subspecies of the Blue Whale. It is smaller, and does range as far into polar waters as the Blue Whale. 
     
     In the summer of 2003, nursing and feeding grounds of the Blue Whale were discovered (and possibly those of the Pygmy Blue Whale) were discovered off Chile in the Gulf of Corcovado and off the west coast of Chiloe.
     
     
     
     Blue Whale
     (photo by Armas Hill)
       
     
     
     

Other Nature:

In 1992, a probable extra-terrestrial object (a meteorite fragment): Found in the Andes, not far from where we saw the Diademed Plover. 
It was a light-weight, nearly spherical, dark-colored "rock". Upon our return to the U.S., there was an article in "Sky & Telescope Magazine" referring to such objects in that area.

Fossils, of marine life, also found in that region of the High Andes.