One of the most famous animals endemic to Argentina are both adorable: the Pink Fairy Armadillo and the Patagonian Mara.
The Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum) is a big rodent; a relative of the guinea pig that can weight up to 16 kg as an adult. Maras are the fourth-largest rodents in the world, after capybaras, beavers and porcupines. The Patagonian mara is only found in Argentina, from 28 to 50°S. Their range used to be much bigger than what it is today, and they could be encountered all the way from north-central Argentina to areas near Tierra del Fuego. Since then, their range has shrunk due to hunting and habitat loss, and they are for instance extinct from the Buenos Aires province. The Patagonian maras prefer open and semi-open habitats with shrub cover, but can also survive in the barren landscape of the Monte Desert biome. In north-western Argentina, they are even found in forests.
The Pink Fairy Armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) is the smallest of all the armadillos and can only be found in central Argentina, where it inhabits sandy plains, dunes and scrubby grasslands. In Argentina, it is known as Pichiciego pampeano – the Pichiciego of the Pampas. Pichey is the Guarani term for small armadillos, while ciego means blind in Spanish. The Pink fairy armadillo is a burrowing, night-active animal with small eyes. It is protected by pale pink plates on the head and back, while the sides and belly are covered in a lushness of white silky hair. These little armadillos typically stay in the 9-11 cm range in length and weighs around 120 grams. We still know very little about this unusually looking armadillo and the IUCN has not even assigned it a conservation status yet.
Below, we have listed a few other animals that are endemic to Argentina. The lists are by no means complete, as Argentina is home to a wide range of endemic animals.
Examples of mammals endemic to Argentina
- Pink Fairy Armadillo
- Yungas Lesser Long-nosed Armadillo
- Patagonian Mara
- Patagonian Opossum
- Mesopotamian Fat-tailed Opossum
- Chacoan Pygmy Opossum
- The Eptesicus ulapesensis bat
- Uspallata Chincilla Rat
- Cinnamon Tuco-Tuco (a burrowing rodent)
- Medoza Tuco-Tuco (a burrowing rodent)
Examples of endemic birds
- Carbon Sierra-finch
- White-browed Tapaculo
- Hooded Grebe
- Sandy Gallito
- Steinbach’s Canastero
Examples of endemic snakes
- Sierra de la Ventana Ground Snake
- Mousehole Snake
- Patagonian Lancehead
- The whole genus Pseudotomodon
Examples of endemic frogs and toads
- Cordoba tree frog
- Christian’s Marsupial frog
- Achala’s four-eyed frog
- Santa Victoria oval frog
- Neuquen gargoyle frog
- Somuncura frog
- Baritu robber frog
- Patagonia frog
- Bumblebee toad
- Salta toad
Examples of endemic lizards
- Bell´s Anole
- Taragui Gecko
- Longtal Whiptail
- Patagonian Mountain Lizard
- Copper Lizard
- Over one hundred of the species belonging to the genus Liolaemus
Examples of endemic insects
- The butterfly Haywardella edmondsii
- The dragonfly Staurophlebia bosqi
- The ant Pseudoatta argentina
- The bee Litocalliopsis adesmiae
Examples of endemic spiders, scorpions and solifuges
- The tarantulas Acanthoscurria cordubensis and Grammostola vachoni
- The jumping spider Tapsatella albocastanea
- The tree trapdorr spider Calathotarsus simoni
- The scorpion Mauryius cuyanus
- The solifuges Gaucha ramirezi