Tierra Del Fuego National Park - Flora and Fauna

Flora and Fauna

The park forms the southern portion of the subantarctic forest and is known for its biological richness.

Flora

The subantarctic forest vegetation is dominated by tree species of Coihue, Nires and Lenga (a tree or shrub native to the Andes and also known as Lenga Beech) apart from a profusion of massbed. The flora that characterizes the "Andino-Patagonico" forests, the lenga, is well distributed over the mountain slopes above sea level to a height of 600 m (2,000 ft). Above 600 m (2,000 ft) elevation, the flora consists of altoandina with small little bushes, plants en cojin and grasses.

IUCN has reported forests of southern beech species of Nothofagus pumilio, N. antarctica and N. betuloides. Other species include Berberis buxifolia, Embothrium coccineum, winter’s bark Drimys winteri, and Crowberry, Empetrum rubrum and mosses. Magellan coihue (coihue de Magallanes) is found in the wettest parts of the Beagle channel coast of the park. Lenga is found in the Pipo River Valley and some parts of southern mountain slopes and may be thickly set and reach great heights. Chinese lantern, hemiparasite and Pande Indian or Llao Llao, which are fungus parasites, are found over the branches of the trees. Cinnamon is also reported in many small forest areas of the park. Peat bogs extensively found in the park. These are made up of sphagnum moss and aquatic grasses in damp valleys where low temperatures and slow moving acidic waters prevent decomposition.

The flower varieties found are calafate, chaura and michay, which are orange coloured. Flag Tree, Strawberry Devil and little ferns, yellow orchids and luzuriagas are seen in the understory of forest cover. Black bush, caulking, grill and Embothrium cocci with red tubular flowers are typically seen in the Beagle Channel coast and the western part of Lapataia Bay. Also found is the chocolate scented Nassauvia.

• Drimys winteri flowers

• Nothofagus antarctica

• Nothofagus pumilio

• Nothofagus betuloides

• Calafate (Berberis buxifolia) plant west of Ushuaia

Fauna

See also: Beaver eradication in Tierra del Fuego

Settlers from Europe and North America introduced many species of animals into the area, such as the European rabbit, North American beaver, muskrat and gray fox, which rapidly proliferated and caused significant damage to the environment.

Avifauna includes three types of cauquenes (sheldgeese) namely, cauquen comun (Upland Goose or Magellan Goose), cauquen real (Ashy-headed Goose) and caranca (Kelp Goose ), found in open places and beaches. Other birds include Patagonian woodpeckers, notably the spectacular Magellanic Woodpecker, maca común, common maca, heron, pato Creston, Duck overo, corn duck, eagle, Southern carancho, chimango. Condors are seen flying on the peaks and valleys of Tierra del Fuego. It is also home the Austral Parakeet, Enicognathus ferrugineus, a species of parrot.

Aquafauna consists of scallop, moon snail, spiral tooth, few crustaceans like crabs and fishes such as sardines Fueguina, merluza and Robalo de cola, jellyfish concentrations, steamer ducks and cormorants. Guanaco Lama guanicoe and South American sea lions are reported in the park.

Sea birds reported include petrels and albatrosses. Other notable fauna reported are several species of penguins, the South Andean deer or Huemul Hippocamelus bisulcus, and the southern river otter Lutra provocax.

• Fauna in Tierra del Fuego

• A pair of Black-necked Swan in the park

• Podiceps major – Great grebe- Tierra del Fuego National Park

• A Magellanic Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus) near Ushuaia

• Sea lions at the Beagle Channel near Ushuaia

• Penguin colony on the shores of the Beagle Channel