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Magellanic Penguin

Physical characteristics: They are approximately 70 cm long and weigh between 4.5 and 5 kg. Its head and back is black while its neck and front is white. It is characterized by having a white line that rises from the neck behind the atrial area and over the eye to the forehead without being over the beak. It has a black "U" inverted on the chest and white flanks. Its beak is flattened vertically with pink basal area and eye surrounded by pink. Its legs are dark gray.

Reproduction: Nest on beaches, dunes or clay hills. Their nests are in land galleries where it is possible to dig, as well as shrubs. They usually lay 1 to 2 eggs at a time.

Feeding: They are supported by small sardines, silversides and anchovies, as well as crustaceans and cephalopods.

Family: Spheniscidae

Habitat: Coastal pelagic and rocky islets.

 

You can find it in our excursion Navigation to Isla Magdalena & Marta and full day Whales, penguins and glaciers.

Sea 

Lion

Physical characteristics: They are mammals that allow them to go ashore to procreate. They are carnivores. They are also known as Lobo or León. Its color varies between the male and the female.

The sea lion of a hair is distinguished from the rest by presenting a more leonine physiognomy. Adult males have a robust blunt-snout head, with a dense mane that also covers the neck and part of the chest. The females' body does not have mane and their head and neck are more stylized. The maximum length for an adult male is 2.8 meters and the weight is between 300 and 350 kg .; an adult female, however, has a maximum length of 2.20 meters and weighs 144 kg.

The puppies at birth weigh 15 Kg. And measure 50 cm.

The life of these animals lasts between 18 and 24 years.

Family: Otariidae

Distribution: They are found on the coasts throughout the entire national territory.

 

You can find them in our excursions Magdalena & Marta Islands and in the full day Francisco Coloane Marine Park.

Distribution and habitat: It is distributed largely in the seas of the southern hemisphere. In Chile it is located off the coast from north to south.

Description: Length: 70 - 80 cms.
Wingspan: 225 cms.
White head and body; black superciliary line.
Supralares dark brown, tone that continues on the back. Brown tail Yellowish or pale pink legs.
Adult: yellow beak with pink tip; white subalares with black border.
Subadult: yellow tip with dark tip; white subalares with wide black border
Immature: light brownish beak; dark subalares with light traces.
Juvenile: dark brown beak; dark subalares.

Other names Chile: Gaviotón, Albatros boy, Ram sheep boy, Bobo bird, Gume, Totoralero

Threats: The main known threat is bycatch, with hundreds of individuals dying each year in different fisheries. Also the introduction of exotic species in the islands where it nests can affect its young.

Black eye brown albatross

Length: 1.5 meters.

Weight: 35 kg

Distribution: South end of South America.

Appearance: head, dorsal fin and caudal black. The body and throat are white. The dorsal fin has a straight front edge that ends in a curve. They have no beak. Males have a black tear-shaped spot on the belly, the female's mark is more rounded.

Diet: fish, squid, crustaceans, algae. They usually hunt at night. They use echolocation to find their prey, sometimes they swim on their backs for better visual tracking. When hunting in groups, they can lower the loo fish that facilitates the collection of prey.

 

They are very friendly to humans, playing on the wakes of the boats and approaching to browse what humans are doing. When grouped in pods, they travel in numbers ranging from two to one hundred individuals.

The sheep sheep are prey to leopard seals, and killer whales.

COMMERSON'S DOLPHIN

sei

whales

Sei whale, Whale Boba or Rudolphi Rorcual is the least known species of whales. It is of a medium size with an average length of 15 meters for the male and 16 meters for the female and weight between 12 to 25 tons for both sexes with a maximum of 30 tons. The dorsal fin 60 cm high bent back, the pectoral fins are pointed and short. Dark bluish gray body on the back and sides, "galvanized" appearance. When it emerges to breathe it does so almost horizontally exposing a long extension of the back and dorsal fin. remaining visible on the surface for a longer time than other species.

He is the fastest in his family, can swim at 30 knots (60 km / hour). It is very difficult to see her jump out of the water.

It breeds in warm waters during winter and feeds in cold waters during summer. It is usually found in pairs, alone or in groups of up to five individuals. It congregates only in feeding zones.

andean

condor

It is recognized as one of the largest birds, sometimes being surpassed only by the traveling and royal albatross, although the condor is taller, more robust and heavier than those. Adults measure up to 142 cm tall, and 270 to 330 cm wide

They have a bare head, reddish in color, although it can change according to mood, very sharp and hooked beak. The wings are long and wide, have short, curved nails, and with the raised back finger. They are adapted to hold the carrion.

Males have a crest and folds on the face and neck that increase in size with age. His eyes are brown. Females do not have a crest, but like males they have folds, their eyes are reddish in color.

It is one of the birds that flies to greater heights, can fly using the vertical ascending thermal currents of warm air and can reach up to 6,500 meters of altitude.

Humpback whale

Megaptera novaeangliae, also called humpback whale or yubarta, is a species of mycenoid cetacean of the family Balaenopteridae (whales). It is one of the largest whales, adults have a length of 12 to 16 m and an approximate weight of 36 000 kg. The species has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal that is often pushed on the surface and then hit the water. The males emit a complex song, which lasts ten to twenty minutes and repeats for hours at a time. The purpose of the song is not clear. However, it seems to play a role in mating.

They are easily identifiable by their robust complexion, their long pectoral fins, which reach a third of the length of the body and the black coloration of their dorsal region.

They live in groups, but usually they are small and unstable groups; the only lasting bond occurs between the mother-child duo.The groups are more stable in summer, when they cooperate in the search for food. More lasting relationships of months or years between couples or small groups have been described but very rarely. Its worldwide distribution makes them seen with other mycedets or dolphins, but with very few interspecific interactions.

It is an acrobatic animal that frequently jumps on the surface and then hits the water.

It is distributed throughout all the oceans and seas of the world; They usually migrate up to 25,000 km each year. The yubartas feed only during the summer in the polar regions and migrate to tropical and subtropical waters to reproduce and give birth to the young during the polar winter. During the winter, they fast and subsist thanks to their fat reserve. The species feeds mainly on krill and small fish.

Because of the excessive capture, its population was reduced by 90% before the moratorium implemented in 1966.

You can find them in the Francisco Coloane Marine Park, the population is increasing in that sector, the last census was 204 identified photo whales.

Download Patagonian flora and fauna guide (spanish)

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