The Argentinian Pampas
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The Pampas ofArgentina are inhabited by a limited number ofindigenous animals. Among the birds are rheas and a series of smaller birds, including the popularovenbird (Furnarius rufus), the name of which comes from its globe-shaped nest made of mud.Endemic mammals include the mara (Dolichotis patagona), a long-legged, long-eared rodent; the plains viscacha (Lagostomus), a burrowing rodent related to the chinchilla; theguanaco (Lama guanacoe), a South American mammal related to the camel but resembling a deer; and Pampas deer (Blastoceros campestris). The restricted number of the larger herbivorous mammals is quite remarkable and illustrates the scarcity of recent mammalian types in theNeotropical region.
The southern Chilean forests
The forests of southernChile are inhabited by a specialized animal life, with a high percentage ofendemic species. Parakeets and hummingbirds are found as far south asTierra del Fuego. A marsupial, the rincolesta of Chiloé (Rhyncholestes raphanurus), is one of the most primitive mammals still in existence.
The highAndes
The high Andes have an impoverished animal life. Species there have had to adapt to the harsh and coldenvironment, scanty vegetation, and low oxygen pressure. The great number of lakes in the region has attracted many aquatic birds, including flamingos, which nest up to elevations of 16,000 feet (4,900 metres) in northern Chile, and amphibians such as the giant toads ofLake Titicaca, which spend their entire life in water. Mammals are represented by the guanaco andvicuña (both wild ruminants related to the domesticated llama), deer, and numerous rodents, including viscachas, chinchillas, and guinea pigs. Predatoryspecies include foxes, pumas, thespectacled bear (the only bear species in South America), and many birds of prey, notable among which is the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), the giant of living birds, with a wingspan of more than 10 feet (3 metres).
The arid west coast
The limited variety of animals that inhabit the arid coast ofPeru and northern Chile is especially striking when compared with the richness of offshore marine life. The cold upwelling water of thePeru Current, rich in salts, are swarming with life, from plankton to fishes, including the Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens); those small forms of life provide food for higher levels of the marinecommunity, represented, for example, by sea lions and birds, many of which are endemic to the area. Birdlife includes a penguin, many species of gulls and terns, shearwaters, petrels, cormorants, pelicans, and boobies (a kind of gannet). Three kinds of those birds—the guanay (or Peruvian cormorant;Phalacrocorax bougainvillii), the variegated booby (Sula variegata), and thebrown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)—nest by the millions on small islands off the coast, where their droppings accumulate to form guano, a highly prized fertilizer.
Human influences onwildlife
Overhunting and habitat destruction have seriously depleted populations of wild animals in much of South America. Almost all wild species are lessabundant than they were before the mid-20th century, and some are threatened with extinction. Laws designed to protect wildlife frequently are not observed. In addition, many rural people, especially in tropical-forest areas, still depend on game as a source of food; and the sale of live animals for pets or laboratory use has further depleted stocks. Populations of animals not considered economically valuable have been reduced as their forest habitats have been removed.
Nature reserves, established to protect animals in their habitat, are now found in most South American countries. Argentina pioneered wildlife protection on thecontinent by creatingNahuel Huapí National Park. AtIguaçu (Iguazú) Falls—located on theIguaçu River on the border betweenBrazil and Argentina, just before theconfluence of the Iguaçu and Paraná rivers—two national parks, one in each country, protect wildlife and the surrounding rainforest.Manu National Park in southeastern Peru protects one of the richest collections of plant and animal life in theAmazon basin, including more than 1,000 species of birds.Venezuela’s effort to protect habitats led to the establishment (1962) ofCanaima National Park in theGuiana Highlands, which with an area of nearly 11,600 square miles is the largest park on the continent. Overall, South America has about 58,000 square miles of parks, but the inviolability of many of thosesanctuaries against the pressures of economic development has not been clearly established in all countries.
Jean P. DorstDaniel W. Gade