40 Native Animals of Chile (with scientific names and key facts)

2025-08-28 14:57:13 422

From the Atacama Desert to the Andes and the Patagonian ice fields—plus a long Pacific coastline fed by the Humboldt Current—Chile’s mosaics of habitats support exceptional native biodiversity. Below are representative Chilean animals (some strictly endemic, others widely distributed in southern South America), with concise ID notes, ecology, and distribution details for easy publishing.

South Andean Deer (Huemul)

Scientific name: Hippocamelus bisulcus

ID: Males bear two-tined antlers; long ears; conspicuous white rump patch; coat shifts from deep to light brown seasonally.
Size: ~40–100 kg; females smaller.
Where: Montane forests and subalpine meadows of Ñuble, Chiloé, Aysén, and Magallanes.
Ecology & status: Grazes shrubs/forbs along forest edges; threatened by habitat fragmentation, feral dogs, and poaching; endangered.

Llama

Scientific name: Lama glama

ID: Domesticated camelid with dense fleece; face, ears, and legs often darker.
Where: High Andean puna of Tarapacá and Antofagasta (2,300–4,000 m).
Ecology: Herded for wool/pack; uses spitting as a defense.

Puma

Scientific name: Puma concolor

ID: Tawny to gray-brown coat; paler muzzle and belly.
Size: Up to ~80 kg; females smaller.
Where: Wide range from sea level to ~5,000 m, Arica to Magallanes.
Ecology: Apex predator taking birds, rodents, and large ungulates (e.g., huemul, guanaco).

South American Sea Lion

Scientific name: Otaria flavescens

ID: Males with mane-like long hair; flipper-like limbs; thick waterproof fur and insulating blubber.
Size: Males near 3 m.
Where: Colonies along Chile’s entire Pacific coast.
Ecology: Feeds mainly on fish and cephalopods; comes ashore to breed and molt.

Degu (Chilean Octodon)

Scientific name: Octodon degus

ID: Brush-tipped tail; large head, rounded ears; coarse pelage.
Ecology: Diurnal, social burrower; eats grasses, roots, pods, seeds, and bark.
Where: Dry shrublands and grasslands from Huasco to Rapel.

Coypu (Nutria)

Scientific name: Myocastor coypus

ID: Large semi-aquatic rodent; webbed hind toes; long, brown, shaggy coat.
Size: ~5–9 kg.
Where: Rivers, lakes, and marshes from Elqui to Malleco (to ~1,100 m).
Ecology: Builds bank lodges/platforms; feeds on emergent and aquatic plants.

Colocolo Cat

Scientific name: Leopardus colocolo

ID: Slightly larger than a domestic cat; gray-yellow to orange-yellow coat with dorsal spotting and dark nape stripes.
Where: Tarapacá, Coquimbo, Concepción, Aysén, Magallanes in grassland–shrub systems.
Ecology: Mostly nocturnal ambush predator of small mammals and birds.

Guanaco

Scientific name: Lama guanicoe

ID: Wild camelid; reddish-brown back, white underparts; thick yet light fleece.
Size: Up to ~150 kg.
Sociality: Harem groups (one male, several females) or bachelor groups; spits when threatened.
Where: High plains and steppe from Tarapacá to Antofagasta; main predator is the puma.

Alpaca

Scientific name: Vicugna pacos

ID: Fine, soft, typically pale fleece; cold-adapted.
Size: Head height to ~1.5 m; up to ~65 kg.
Where: Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo highlands.
Use: Domesticated for high-quality fiber.

Long-tailed Chinchilla (wild lineage)

Scientific name: Chinchilla lanigera

ID: Compact body; ultra-dense plush fur; long tactile whiskers for nocturnal life.
Weight: To ~750 g.
Where: Aucó, Las Chinchillas National Reserve, La Higuera—remnant habitats.
Ecology & status: Nocturnal browser of arid plants; heavily reduced by historic fur trade and habitat loss.

Chilean Tree Lizard (“weeping/whistling” lizard)

Scientific name: Liolaemus chiliensis

ID: Small, greenish lizard with yellow longitudinal stripes along back and tail; vocalizes when handled.
Length: To ~30 cm.
Where: Coquimbo to Los Lagos.
Ecology: Diurnal; eats arthropods and some plant matter.

Atacama Lava Lizard

Scientific name: Microlophus atacamensis

ID: Northern Chile endemic; large for the genus; brown with black maculation (denser on flanks and limbs).
Length: To ~120 cm.
Where: Coastal Antofagasta and Atacama.
Status: Vulnerable.

Representative Birds of Chile (selection, with scientific names)

Chilean Eagle / Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle — Geranoaetus melanoleucus
Black-faced Ibis (Bandurria) — Theristicus melanopis
Upland Goose (Caiquén) — Chloephaga picta
Woodpeckers (e.g., Magellanic Woodpecker) — Campephilus magellanicus (and related spp.)
American Kestrel (Cernícalo) — Falco sparverius
Rufous-collared Sparrow (Chincol) — Zonotrichia capensis
Austral Pygmy-Owl (Chuncho) — Glaucidium nana
Black-necked Swan — Cygnus melancoryphus
Gray-hooded Sierra-Finch (Cometocino de Gay) — Phrygilus gayi
Andean Condor — Vultur gryphus
Cormorants — Phalacrocorax spp. (incl. “Yeco” = P. brasilianus)
Diuca Finch — Diuca diuca
Chilean Flamingo — Phoenicopterus chilensis
Great Grebe (Huala) — Podiceps major
“Jilguero” finches — Spinus magellanicus and relatives
Austral Parakeet (“Loro choroy”) — Enicognathus ferrugineus
Lesser Rhea (Ñandú) — Rhea pennata
Crested Duck (Pato juarjual) — Lophonetta specularioides
Variable Hawk (“Peuco”) — Geranoaetus polyosoma
Giant Hummingbird — Patagona gigas
Humboldt Penguin — Spheniscus humboldti
Magellanic Penguin — Spheniscus magellanicus
Coots (Tagua) — Fulica spp.
Tapaculos (ground-wrens) — family Rhinocryptidae
Tenca (Chilean Mockingbird; endemic) — Mimus thenca
Burrowing Parrot (Tricahue) — Cyanoliseus patagonus
Austral Thrush (Zorzal) — Turdus falcklandii

Summary

Chile's biodiversity is shaped by a sharp gradient: from the cold coast to the Mediterranean valleys, then to the Andes, and finally to the Patagonian tundra. From the southern Andean deer on the national emblem, to the Humboldt and Magellanic penguins, to the llamas and guanacos of the highlands, each animal species reflects a unique ecological niche and evolutionary story. Understanding their habitat requirements and conservation status is the first step in understanding and protecting Chile's natural heritage.

animal tags： animals of chile