Wildlife and plants of Tierra del Fuego: a full nature guide

Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago at the southern tip of South America, divided between Argentina and Chile. Here, at 54–55° south, three oceans meet, subantarctic forests run up to glaciers, and penguins share the shore with sea lions. The nature of this region is unique: many species are endemic, some are at risk, and a few — on the contrary — are aggressively invading the ecosystem. This guide gathers everything you can see on tours around Ushuaia.

Marine mammals of the Beagle Channel

South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens)

The most visible inhabitant of the Beagle Channel. Males reach 350 kg, have a massive mane, and guard harems of 5–15 females. The colonies are on the rocky islets of Los Lobos and Los Pájaros — the first stop on any boat tour through the channel. The smell of the haul-out is noticeable from hundreds of meters away; the males' roar carries even further. The best time for watching is December–February, when pups are born.

South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis)

Smaller (males up to 150 kg), with a more pointed snout and a dense undercoat for which the species was almost wiped out in the 19th century. The population has recovered today; fur seals can be seen on the same islets as the sea lions, but usually higher up the rocks — they climb better.

Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina)

A giant up to 4 tons. Around Ushuaia it's encountered less often than at Punta Tombo or the Valdés Peninsula, but solitary individuals occasionally come out on the beaches. If you're lucky enough to see one, it's memorable for life.

Orcas (Orcinus orca) and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Orcas show up in the Beagle Channel in pods of 4–8, most often in summer. Humpbacks migrate along the Patagonian coast — peak sightings are April–May and September–October. It's a rare bit of luck, not a guaranteed part of the tour.

Birds of Tierra del Fuego

Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus)

The region's main star. The colony on Isla Martillo numbers around 3,500 pairs, plus a few dozen pairs of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) — the only continental colony of this species in all of South America. Season — October to April: in October the penguins return to the nests, in December–January chicks hatch, in March the young head out to sea. Our tour to the penguin island includes a landing — you walk through the island among the birds at one meter's distance.

Black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) and wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans)

Solitary individuals occasionally drift into the Beagle Channel; the main colonies are further south, on the Falklands and South Georgia. Wingspan up to 3.5 meters.

Andean condor (Vultur gryphus)

One of the largest flying birds in the world — wingspan up to 3.3 m, weight up to 15 kg. In Ushuaia, condors are easiest to see in the area of the Martial ridge and over the passes in the National Park. They soar on thermals, not flapping for hours. Black plumage with a white collar in adult males is the signature silhouette against the sky.

Coastal birds of the channel

• Upland goose (Chloephaga picta) — graze in flocks on the meadows, males white, females brown with stripes
• Kelp goose (Chloephaga hybrida) — feeds on seaweed, always at the shore
• Magellanic flightless steamer duck (Tachyeres pteneres) — can't fly, slaps the water with its wings like steamer paddles
• Cormorants: imperial (Leucocarbo atriceps) and Magellanic (Phalacrocorax magellanicus) — nest in colonies on rocks next to penguins
• Caracaras and skuas — raptors, hunt chicks

Land animals

Guanaco (Lama guanicoe)

A wild relative of the llama and vicuña, weighing 90–140 kg. In the Argentine part of Tierra del Fuego the population is healthy — herds of 10–30 are regularly seen on the 4x4 lakes route and in the National Park. Guanacos are skittish, but they're used to tourist routes. Males guard their territory and often stand on high ground as lookouts.

Tierra del Fuego fox / culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus)

The largest South American fox — up to 13 kg. In Tierra del Fuego the subspecies is fuegipes, red with a gray back. Active at dusk, but in the National Park it often comes out to the roads during the day. Feeding is forbidden — it changes behavior and leads to conflicts with people.

North American beaver (Castor canadensis) — invasive species

An ecological disaster. In 1946 the Argentine military brought 25 pairs from Canada, hoping to create a fur industry. The industry didn't materialize, the beavers multiplied — today there are about 100,000. They cut down Nothofagus forest that doesn't recover after damage. The areas flooded by dams turn into dead "beaver meadows." On the 4x4 lakes tour we stop at several dams — it's the most accessible place to see the result of the invasion.

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

Another invasive rodent, introduced in 1948. Smaller than the beaver, feeds on aquatic plants. Less destructive but also displaces native fauna.

Marine life of the Beagle Channel

Centolla — king crab (Lithodes santolla)

Ushuaia's gastronomic symbol. It isn't a true crab, but a hermit crab that evolved into a crab-like shape. Leg span up to 1.5 m, weight up to 5 kg. Caught at depths of 30–600 m with special traps. On our "Crab fishing" tour you haul the traps yourself and lunch on freshly boiled centolla aboard.

Sea urchins and kelp forests

Beneath the surface of the Beagle Channel grow forests of brown algae Macrocystis pyrifera — giant kelp, reaching 30 m in length. It's an analog to a land forest: fish, crustaceans, sea urchins (Loxechinus albus — an edible local species), and octopuses live in the thickets. While kayaking the Beagle Channel, the kelp forest is visible right under the boat.

Trees: a forest of southern beech

Tierra del Fuego's forests are made up almost exclusively of three Nothofagus species — "southern beeches." It's not the true beech (Fagus), but a separate genus, an ancient relic of Gondwanan flora. Similar forests grow in Chile, New Zealand, and Tasmania — a legacy of the single continent.

Lenga (Nothofagus pumilio)

Deciduous, dominates on slopes from 200 to 600 m above sea level. In autumn (March–April) the forest turns orange-red — the main reason to come to Ushuaia in the fall. The wood is prized; it's used for furniture.

Coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi)

Evergreen, grows in damp lowlands near water. Reaches 40 m and lives up to 500 years. Dark glossy foliage gives the forest a dense canopy.

Ñire (Nothofagus antarctica)

Shorter, often shrub-form, tolerates wind and waterlogged soil. Grows at the forest-tundra boundary, at altitudes up to 700 m.

All three species suffer from beavers: a chewed-through tree doesn't sprout from the stump as willows and poplars do, and the population doesn't recover.

Flowers and shrubs

Notro / firebush (Embothrium coccineum)

Bright red trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in November–December. The symbol of the Patagonian spring — a shrub visible a kilometer away against the dark green of the forest. Pollinated by the Sephanoides sephaniodes hummingbird.

Calafate (Berberis microphylla)

A thorny shrub with dark-blue berries the size of a pea. From calafate they make jam, liqueur, and ice cream — one of the headline souvenir flavors of Patagonia. Local lore: "whoever eats calafate will return."

Orchids and cushion plants

On peat bogs and in the mountains grow endemic orchids (genera Codonorchis, Chloraea, Gavilea) — small, inconspicuous, but precise indicators of an undisturbed ecosystem. Cushion plants like Bolax gummifera survive on the rocks through a dense form that retains heat.

Turberas — peat bogs

The peat bogs of Tierra del Fuego are among the southernmost in the world. They form over thousands of years from accumulating sphagnum moss under conditions of cold and constant moisture. Peat thickness reaches 10 m. On the Esmeralda route the trail goes right across an active turbera — live moss springs underfoot. It's a carbon reservoir: one hectare of peatland binds more CO₂ than a hectare of tropical forest.

Where to see each species — a map by tour

Conservation and threats

The three main problems:

1. Invasive species. Beavers — disaster No. 1. An eradication program has been discussed by the Argentine and Chilean governments since the 2000s, but there's no political will yet for a full cull.
2. Climate change. The Martial glacier has retreated 200+ meters in 50 years. The glaciers of the Beagle Channel (Pia, Garibaldi on the Chilean side) thin by 1–2 m of thickness per year. That changes the salinity of the fjords and affects crab and kelp populations.
3. Tourism pressure. Managed through a quota system: at Isla Martillo no more than 80 people land at one time, and trails in the national park are limited. Magellania only works with licensed operators that observe these rules.

What you can do as a traveler: don't feed wildlife, don't leave the trails on the bogs (a footprint is visible for 50 years), don't buy souvenirs of feathers, coral, or bone, choose operators with a permit to work in the national park.

What blooms when and who appears — a seasonal calendar

• October: penguins return to Isla Martillo, notro is preparing to bloom
• November: peak notro bloom, guanacos in best condition after winter
• December–February: penguins with chicks, sea lions raising young, calafate in bloom
• March–April: golden autumn in the lenga forests, whale migration begins
• May–August: winter, penguins have left for the ocean, but condors, guanacos, foxes, and the forest remain
• September: the migrants return, first flowers

Any time of year in Tierra del Fuego is a chance to see something extraordinary. The main thing is to come with someone who knows where to look.