Guanaco

The guanaco gives the open steppe one of its most recognisable silhouettes: long legs, an upright neck and pointed ears above a reddish-brown body. Its face is grey and the underside pale. Adults of both sexes share this colour pattern; the young, locally called chulengos, remain close to their mothers.

A native camelid, it feeds on grasses and shrubs across the dry plains. Family groups include females and their young with an adult male, while other males form bachelor groups. A watchful animal standing apart from a grazing group may be the first sign of guanacos beyond a ridge.

In our region. Resident throughout the year and one of the characteristic large mammals of Valdés. Distribution across a route changes with grazing conditions and disturbance.