Camelids and Cuys

So, while we were in the high mountains of central Argentina to study the tucos, they weren't the only mammal to inhabit that region. Two different camelid species can be found, the vicuna and the llama. Llamas are raised for their wool and meat, and they were everywhere. Often they grazed quite close to our tents and we would waken to the sound of crunching and munching. Vicunas were pretty abundant too but much more skittish. They resemble the guanacos we see in Patagonia and their behaviors are quite similar. We saw young males chasing one another with the typical style of lowering their heads and charging.

One of my favorite mammals, which we found scurrying around the galpon, or storage building where we did our cooking, was the cuy, a cute little wild guinea pig. I tried to get close but these guys are extremely shy and would run into a nearby hole or tunnel to hide. This picture was actually taken through the window of the galpon. We also saw lots of birds, many new species that I had not seen before, but also familiar ones. The area is known for a large laguna that attracts thousands of flamingos and we often saw flocks of them flying overhead. On the tuco field, an interesting combo of birds, lizards, and frogs shared the large gravelly bed and the holes where the tucos lived. We saw lizards chasing birds and birds hopping after tucos. This was definitely a strange, new Argentina that I had not expected but which is full of possibilities for those of us interested in animal behavior!