FAUNA IN CORDOBA

PAMPAS STEPPE
The fauna inhabiting it is adapted to a life without trees. The big mammals that once lived here, such as the jaguar and the deer, have totally vanished; and two native species of the humid pampas, the vizcacha and the rhea, are on the brink of extinction due to the intervention of man.

The most important species of the pampas are:

Mammals: red weasel, pampas grey fox, vizcacha, country mice, and guinea pigs. As for introduced species: European wild boar and European hare.

Birds: rhea, small tinamou, kingfisher, carancho or caracara, common rhea, gull, white falcon, golden pigeon or torcaza, pirincha, vizcacha eater little owl, big owl of the fields, country woodpecker, calandra lark, hornero, earwig, streaked flycatcher, black thrush, goldfinch and chingolo.

Reptiles: nesting iguana, common lizard, caimans and yarará or fer de lance.

Amphibious: little frog and common toad.

CHACO FOREST
Mammals: picaza weasel, mice-eared bat, armadillo or mataco, corzuela or mountain goat, collared peccary, Patagonian hare or mara, pampas cat, puma, jaguar, pampas grey fox (eastern forest) western grey fox (western forest), vizcacha, zorrilla and tuco-tuco or wild rabbit.

Birds: little pampas tinamou (eastern forest) small western tinamou, mountain tinamou, chimango or common rhea, carancho or caracara, little falcon, pigeons (spotted and golden) catita, crespin, urutaú, common little owl and big owl, royal woodpecker, chinchero, leñatero, monjita, pitch black thrush, red-hooded cardinal, woodpecker, talker parrot, etc.

Reptiles: rattlesnake, small yarará or fer de lance, in the eastern zone: cross and coral vipers, vizcacha, eater boa or ampalagua, rainbow boa, clelia (serpent) nesting iguana, lizard, red iguana, gekko (Homonota fasciata), and land turtle.

Amphibious: Chaco frog, rococo toad, small frog and tree frog.

Mar Chiquita Basin
We find huge grasslands alternated with zones of vegetation adapted to the saline environment of the riverbanks and the immense lagoon, and other smaller semi permanent ones on the Valley of the Dulce River.

Mammals: the last jaguars have been extinguished here; today we can find pampas cats, foxes, zorrillas, rabbits of the sticks, Patagonian hares or maras, martin, the otter or coipo. Mulitas and capybaras, now in peril, live in the northern part of the lagoon.

Birds: 250 species live here, amongst them the Andean flamingo, southern royal lapwing, plover, spoonbill, coscoroba, heron, swan, brown-hooded gull, stork, a variety of ducks, goose, macá, etc.

Reptiles: profusion of serpents (viper of the cross) and snakes.

Amphibious: Chaco frog and rococo toad.

Salinas Grandes Basin
The area has the look of a steppe of salty grounds, arid and desolate. Species that are almost extinguished elsewhere in the country are still able to survive here.

Mammals: apart from the last herds of guanacos, the Patagonian hare or mara, and the rabbit of the sticks or the saline, corzuela or mountain goat, peccary and saline cat. Other species are: grey fox, deer, minor tayra, zorrilla, tuco-tuco, etc.

Birds: rhea, mountain parrot and the little nun of the salines.

Reptiles: rattlesnake, ampalagua, yarará or fer de lance, gekko and land turtle.

Amphibious: toad.