Animals of Patagonia!

The Patagonian Puma
by Julia C. Hello Stoneleigh!
We hope you are keeping track of when you walk on your new Walking Wednesday calendars. These are some of the animals we see as we walk through Argentina. The Patagonian Puma is from a place called Patagonia in Argentina. There are many pumas around the world, so there are different names for them in each language. You've heard of the panther before, right? Well, the puma is a type of panther, but its also called a catamount and a cougar. You won't believe how many types of pumas there are! Well, to be exact, there are 27 types, but the Patagonian Puma lives the furthest south. It's one of the largest. Pumas can cross 10 miles of rocky terrain in a few hours. Pumas have been known to live in almost any habitat.



The Patagonian Gray Fox
by Alex Z.
The Patagonian Gray Fox is truly an animal all its own. It evolved from the wolf family about six to seven million years ago. The average gray fox is about two feet tall and six to ten pounds. It eats hares (rabbits) and other small rodents. When food gets scarce, the gray fox eats berries, bird eggs, insects, and sometimes leftovers of puma's prey. When female gray foxes don't have litters, they bring food to fox families that do.






The Guanaco
by Maya M.
The Guanaco is a relative of the domesticated Illama. It is Patagonia's largest land vertebrate. Its habitat is the Plains of Torres del Paine. They live in groups consisting of a single dominant male and up to 10 females and their young.





Magellan Penguins
by Genevieve S.

Magellan Penguins are penguins that are migratory seabirds. They arrive during spring at the coasts of Patagonia Bay. During the cold months, they travel more than 3000 kilometers to warmer areas of South America. The baby penguins are born in November. The baby males weigh about 5 kilos and are bigger than females. They spend a lot of time cleaning their feathers and trying to look pretty. They are very conceited.





Magellan Penguins
by Alena B.
Many penguin families return to the exact nest that they made the year before. At the Punta Tombo colony, there are more than half a million penguins every year! Males and females share all the birth tasks: they build their nests together, they look after and defend the nest, they incubate the eggs together. The same happens at the moment of feeding – they take turns doing it.