162 ‡ Monumentos Naturales de Chile
FLORA Two-spined Acaena. Scientific name: Acaena ovalifolia. Conservation status: Low risk. A common herb found in southern Chile. Its fruit has points at its end that cling to animal fur, which helps the dispersion of its seeds. Prickly Heath. Scientific name: Gaulteria mucronata. Conservation status: Low risk. A shrub that grows from Arauco to Cape Horn, with edible fruit. Also found in: Dos Lagunas. Magellan’s Mayten. Scientific name: Maitenus magellanica. Conservation status: Low risk everywhere except the Magallanes Region, where it is vulnerable. This shrub, endemic to the south of Chile and Argentina, has been introduced to other parts of the world because of its ornamental value. It is found on both sides of the Andes Mountains and is highly valued because of the hardness of its wood.
FAUNA Black-chested Buzzard Eagle. Scientific name: Geranoaetus melanoleucus. Conservation status: Not evaluated. Bird of prey that ranges from Arica to Tierra del Fuego. Flying in high circles, it searches for prey, including rabbits, snakes, rodents and other birds. Also found in: Contulmo and El Morado. Andean Condor. Scientific name: Vultur gryphus. Conservation status: Vulnerable from the extreme north of the country to Maule. Rarely seen between Region VIII and Region X. Out of danger from Aysén southward. It is possible to see this giant vulture – soaring high in the sky looking for carrion – in mountainous areas throughout South America. The male is distinguished from the female by its red crest, while both share a characteristic white-feathered collar. It is, by a great margin, the largest bird in Chile, with an extended wingspan of as much as 3.2 meters. It is used in heraldic national iconography and has a role in indigenous mythology in many countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Even so, it is threatened by loss of territory and poisoning. Also found in: El Morado and Salar de Surire. South American gray fox Scientific name: Pseudalopex griseus. Conservation status: Low risk. A solitary animal that feeds on rodents, young pigeons, bird eggs, fruit, seeds and insects. Roams the shrub-steppe landscapes, where it reproduces each spring with up to five pups. It occasionally attacks chicken coops, and it is common in Patagonia to put traps with poisoned meat. Its numbers have fallen in some areas where it is also hunted by abandoned dogs. Also found in: Dos Lagunas, Contulmo, Pichasca, and Quebrada Cardones.
Conepatus chinga
Red Fox. Scientific name: Pseudalopex culpaeus. Conservation status: Low risk. A solitary animal that feeds on rodents, rabbits, birds, lizards and – to a lesser degree – plants and carrion. In some areas they attack sheep herds, where proprietors of livestock hunt them either with arms or poison. As a result, foxes have become very rare in some areas, and extinct in others. Habitat is open scrubland. Also found in: Dos Lagunas, Contulmo. Puma. Scientific name: Puma concolor. Conservation status: Almost threatened. Territorial and solitary, each animal can occupy up to 1,000 square kilometers. Its protection, then, depends upon the preservation of large extensions of land necessary for its habitat. It hunts camelids such as the guanaco and other mammals, including foxes, skunks, and species as small as insects and rodents. It normally ambushes its prey. When its territory is invaded by man, it can get angry and attack cattle and, very infrequently, people. Also found in: Contulmo. Skunk. Scientific name: Conepatus chinga. Conservation status: Rare. An omnivorous, solitary animal that is most active at night. It lives in caves it builds itself or caves taken from other animals. When threatened, it expels a foul smelling spray that can be smelled many kilometers away. Also found in: Dos Lagunas, Contulmo.
Puma concolor
Acaena ovalifolia
Gaulteria mucronata