Chile
Torres Del Paine National Park
I’ve visited Chile four times and loved every minute there. In February 2009 I spent 12 days on Chiloe Island and in Patagonia (mainly at Torres del Paine National Park). In December 2018 I spent a week around Lauca National Park in the north looking for Andean Mountain Cats. In November 2023 I returned to Chiloe Island for three nights and in October 2024 I spent a weekend close to Santiago chasing rodents.
Northern Chile
Arica
Marine Otter, Lontra felina
During two nights in Arica in December 2019 I saw Common Vampire Bats, Marine Otters, Burmeister’s Porpoise, South American Sealions and some Sei/Bryde’s Whales. And I caught several Olivaceous Grass Mice.
Lauca National Park
Southern Mountain Viscacha, Lagidium viscacia
During 5 nights in 2019 we saw White-bellied and Andean Grass Mice, Yellow-rumped Leaf-eared Mouse, Highland Tuco-tuco, Southern Mountain Viscacha, Andean and Garlepp’s Pampas Cats, Culpeo, Guanaco, Vicuna, Taruca (Northern Huemal) and a Feral Donkey.
Central Chile
Chiloe Island
Southern River Otter, Lutra provocax, 2009
During a few nights in 2009 I saw Marine and Southern River Otters; Peale’s and Chilean Dolphins, South American Sealions, Coypus, Southern Pudu and Darwin’s Fox, Sanborn’s and Oliveaceous Grass Mice.
Darwin’s Fox, Pseudalopex fulvipes, 2009
In November 2023 I returned to Parque Tepuheico and added Southern Monito del Monte, Chilean Myotis and Hairy Soft-haired Mouse to my Chiloe list.
Southern Monito del Monte (Dromiciops gliroides), 2023
Las Chinchillas Nature Reserve
Chilean Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera)
Two nights here in 2024 produced Chilean Chinchillas, Bennet’s Chinchilla Rat, Degus and Valparaiso Myotis.
La Campana National Park
A very brief stop here at the Ocoa sector on my way to Santiago Airport produced a few Degus in 2024.
Limache
Coruro (Spalacopus cyanus)
It took about an hour in 2024 to find a Coruro on a hill at the edge of town.
Southern Chile
Patagonia
Commerson’s Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus commersonii
During several nights in 2009 I saw Commerson’s Dolphin, Guanaco, During several nights in 2009 I saw Commerson’s Dolphin, Guanaco,Patagonian (Humboldt’s) Skunk, Chilla and Culpeo Foxes, Puma (6 in one group!), Huemel, European Hares,Long-haired Grass Mouse.
Puma, Felis concolor, stampede
Santiago area
Community Reports
Santiago area, 2024: Jon Hall, 2 nights & 6 species including Chilean Chinchilla, Degu and Bennet’s Chinchilla Rat.
Chile, 2024: Andreas Jonsson’s ridiculously successful trip netted 26 species in 23 days including Andean Mountain Cat, Garlepp’s Pampas Cat, Kodkod, Darwin’s Fox and Southern River Otter!
Patagonia 2024: Bradley Rasmussen’s report includes sightings of Puma and Commerson’s Dolphin.
Parque Tepuhueico, 2024: Thug Hamster, 10 nights and 2 Kodkods plus Darwin’s Foxes and Southern River Otters.
Parque Tepuhueico, 2023: Jon Hall, 4 nights & 5 species including Southern Monito del Monte, Southern Pudu and Chilean Myotis.
Central Chile, (Santiago area), 2021 & 23: Rob & Remy Jansen, with species including Chilean Chinchilla, Degu, Sei Whale and Coruro.
Southern Chile, 2023: Mac Hunter, with species including Monito del Monte, Puma and Magellanic Tuco-tuco (heard).
North Chile, 2023: Rob and Remy Jansen, 3 weeks & 11 species including Puna Pampas Cat, Marine Otter, Northern Huemel and Bolivian Big-eared Mouse.
Chiloe and Patagonia, 2023: Matt and Maureen Hart, 6 weeks & 27 species including Darwin’s Fox, Southern Huemul, Marine Otter and Puma.
Lauca NP and Arica, 2023: Coke Smith, 6 nights & 8 species including Taruca and Bolivian Big-eared Mouse.
Pumas of Patagonia, 2022: Cat Expeditions with some spectacular pictures of Pumas hunting Guanaco.
Lauca & Chiloe – Cat Roundup, 2022: Chris D’s report of multiple cat trips with Kodkod and Southern Pudu on Chiloe but no Andean Mountain Cat at Lauca.
Lauca National Park, 2022: Justin Brown’s report about finding a Colocolo and an Andean Mountain Cat.
Arica, Chiloe & Torres del Paine, August 2022: Samuel Marlin, 20 days & 21 species including Puma, Large Hairy Armadillo, Southern Pudu, Marine Otter, Commerson’s Dolphin and a Lesser Grison.
Southern Chile, 2021: Rob Jansen, 3.5 weeks & 8 species including Southern Pudu, Burmeister’s Porpose and Monito del Monte.
Chile 2020: Jens Bokelaar, 63 days & 38 species including Monito del Monte, Large Hairy Armadillo, Southern Pudu and Bennet’s Chinchilla Rat.
Argentina and Southern Chile, 2019-20: Jono Dashper, 4 months & 54 species including Bunny Rat, Atlantic Bamboo Rat, Geoffroy’s Cat, 5 Armadillo species and Paraguayan Hairy Dwarf Porcupine.
Andean Mountain Cat Recce, Arica & Parinacota, 2019: Far South Expeditions, 5 days with both Andean and Pampas Cats.
Central & South Chile (and southern Argentina), 2019: Jono Dashper, 2 months & many mammals including Kodkod, Large Hairy Armadillo and multiple Monitos del Monte.
Chile and Peru, 2019: Dominique Brugiere, 3 days in Peru and no cats, plus 10 days in northern Chile featuring Andean Mountain Cat, Mollna’s Hog-nosed Skunk and South American Fur Seals over the border in Peru.
Chile, 2019: Janco van Gelderen, 4 weeks & about 20 mammals including Puma, Pudu, Darwin’s Fox and Lesser Grison.
Patagonia, 2019: Mattia Altieri, 2 weeks & 10 species including 17 (!) different Pumas and Peale’s Dolphins. Some interesting discussion in the comments too on the best way to see Pumas. More pictures are here.
Chile, Bolivia and Peru, 2019: Lennart Verheuvel, 3 months & 15 species in Chile including Kodkod, Darwin’s Fox and Lesser Grison; 20 species in Bolivia including Giant Anteater and Bolivian Grey Titi; and 18 species in Peru including Giant Otter.
Chile, 2019: Matt Andrews, 15 days & 18 species including Puma, Huemel and Marine Otter.
Big Cats in Torres del Paine and the Pantanal, 2019: Naturetrek, 16 days & 27 species including Jaguar, Puma and Andean Deer.
Lauca and Arica, 2018: Jon Hall, 1 week & 18 species including Andean Mountain and Pampas Cats and Burmeister’s Porpoise.
Lauca and Arica, 2018: Ben Schwienhart, 1 week & 10 species including Pampas and Andean Mountain Cats.
Chile and a bit of Argentina, 2018: Keith Millar, 19 days & 20 species including Big Hairy Armadillo, Southern River Otter, Southern Viscacha and Puma.
Torres del Paine, 2017: John Van Niel, 12 days & 8 species including Pumas and Large Hairy Armadillos.
Chiloe, Santiago area and the North, 2017: Rodrigo Silva, 8 days & 13 species including Darwin’s Fox, North Andean Deer and Highland Tuco-tuco.
The Pantanal (Brazil) and Torres del Paine (Chile(, 2016: NozoMojo Tours, 6 days (in Chile) & 8 species including Pumas, Big Hairy Armadillos and a Huemel.
Chiloe, 2016: Nayer Youakim, 5 days & 8 species including a Guigna, Chilean Dolphins and a Pudu.
Chile, 2015: Charles Foley, a week or so and a useful update on many of the sites in my report. Species included Puma, Big Hairy Armadillo, Marine Otter and Pudu.
Chile, 2014: Stefan Lithner, 3 weeks & 26 species including Northern Huemul, Southern Viscacha, Southern River and Marine Otters, and some interesting rodents and bats.
Chile, 2014: Romain Bocquier, 8 days & 15 species including Geoffroy’s Cat, Puma and Commerson’s Dolphin (and a near miss with a Kodkod).
Chile, 2013: Michel Watelet, 3 weeks & 23 species including Lesser Grison, Sei Whale, Northern Huemel along with Southern River and Marine Otter, Puma etc.
Chile, 2011: Dominique Brugiere’s report of two trips, spanning 2 months plus, including Juan-Fernandez Fur Seal and Darwin’s Fox.
Argentina, Bolivia & Chile, 2011: Janco Van Gelderen, 6 weeks & 19 species including Geoffroy’s Cat, Mountain Vizcacha, Mara and other goodies including Pumas. Great report.
Bolivia, Chile, Peru & Ecuador, 2011: Matthew and Maureen Hart, 2 months & 32 species including Southern River Otter, Northern Viscacha and Anderson’s Four-eyed Opposum.
Torres Del Paine, 2011: Greg Easton, 3 days & 5 species including Puma.
Argentina and Chile, 2010: Stefanie Lahaye and Tim Lieben, 5 weeks & 39 identified species including a Tawny Tuco-Tuco, Mountain Viscacha and a Six-banded Armadillo.
Argentina and Southern Chile, 2010: Fiona Reid’s Wildlife Encounters, 2 weeks & 25 species including Puma, Mara, Pichi and Greater Hairy Armadillo.
Chiloe and Torres del Paine, 2009: Jon Hall, 12 days & 19 species including Darwin’s Fox, Chilean Dolphin, Marine Otter and Puma.
Blue Whales, Chiloe, 2009: Andrew Stanbury’s account of whale watching off of Chiloe.
Chile, 2008: Richard Webb, 2 weeks & 17 mammals including even better Puma watching than in 2007 and a Larger Hairy Armadillo.
Chile, 2007: Richard Webb, 2 weeks & 20 mammals including great Puma watching, Marine Otters and a Kodkod.
Around the World (Chile and Argentina), 2004: Richard Webb, 4 weeks & 18 species.
Also See
Parque Tepuhueico’s 5 Little Giants – the best of Chiloe Island
New sites for Chilean and Peale’s Dolphin and Burmeister’s Porpoise off Chiloe, February 2023
New Southern Huemel hotspot in Torres del Paine, December 2022
RFI Central Chile and Atacama, October 2022
Dolphin ID? – Puerto Montt, March 2021
Kodkod or domestic cat on Chiloe? June, 2019
Pumas in Torres del Paine NP: RFI September, 2017
Andean Cat RFI April 2013
Resources
Chester, Sharon. 2008. A Wildlife Guide To Chile. A&C Black, London. A nice looking guide to the fauna and flora of continental Chile and islands. It covers nearly all of mammals, and has information on national parks and which species occur in each.
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