Los Glaciares National Park houses animal species typical of the sub-Antarctic wood and the steppe. Among these we will mention the condor, the black-chested buzzard eagle, the lesser rhea, the guanaco and the puma (cougar or mountain lion), in the midst of abundant bird life.

MAMMALS
We only have a limited information on the mammals inhabiting the area. What we have are park ranger reports and old studies on middling to large size mammals, plus incidental data on some of the species.

As well as the species mentioned before, we have the European hare, the red fox and, to a far lesser extent, the gray fox, the gato del pajonal and the gato monts (mountain cat or lynx).

The Park has some surviving and apparently isolated groups of huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus). A recent study of this mammal has recognized the presence of an important population in the Mascarello River Valley and the western part of Lake Viedma, between Viedma Lagoon and Seno Moyano (Viedma Channel).

In some of these zones it is also possible to encounter the chinchilln anaranjado (orange colored chinchilla, or by its scientific name Lagidium Wolffsohni), a very rarely found species.

It is also usual to find domestic species such as horses and cows that have turn wild. The former are quite abundant in some areas.

A major mammal population is that of horses, totaling some 15,000 individuals only in the area populated by huemul in the Mascarello Valley. This situation is a problem for the experts, because any sudden drop in the horse population would leave huemuls at the mercy of the pumas.

BIRDS
Information available on the Park's birdlife is quite recent, for the most part written after 1980, so, it is quite complete. Up to the moment some 100 different species of birds have been catalogued as living in the area.

Among this significant variety are species that are considered to be particularly valuable to conservationists, such as the lesser rhea or "short and" (Pterocnemia pennata), the condor (Vultur gryphus), the torrent duck (Merganetta armata), the white-throated caracara (Polyborus albogularis) and the white-bridled finch (Melanodera melanodera).

Of alike significant density is the population of black-chested buzzard-eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus), specially in the northern area of the Park. The rivers Fitz Roy and De las Vueltas have a large population of torrent ducks, concentrated in all year round resident family groups.

Some species that are nnot easilyl found in such southern areas have been recorded in some humid areas of the Park, for example the yellow-winged blackbird (Agelaius thilius) and the spectacled tyrant (Hymenops percpicillata).

These species have been observed in the Viedma Lake Tunnel bay area, north of the Park, and in the Puerto Bandera "Lagoons", within provincial territory on the edge of the Park.

Another species that is present and nests on the borders of lakes and lagoons in the Park is the Magellanic oyster catcher (Haematopus leucipodus).

FISH
In the lakes and lagoons around El Calafate, especially Argentino and Viedma, two species of introduced salmonids may be found: the rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mikiss) and the lake trout (Christivomer namaycush).

Other recorded species are:

Puyen (Galaxias maculatus) in Lake Argentino. Perca (Perch or Percichthys vinciguerrae) in Lake Argentino and Lake Viedma.

As well as the species that have been confirmed, some others can be assumed to inhabit the surrounding watercourses:

Peladilla (Aplochiton zebra) - it has been recorded in Lake Toro (Torres del Paine National Park, Chile). Peladilla (Aplochiton taeniatus), in Lake Toro as well. Puyen (Galaxias platei) - it lives in the lakes of Paine Range.

AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES
The Santa Cruz zone, including the district of El Calafate, is significantly depleted as regards its amphibian and reptile populations.

Of the 60 Patagonian species recorded to date, there are 56 in the north and 13 in the south area, of which 9 are common to both. However, only four are native to the southern area.

Of them all, the most commot are the lizards, that are chieflly found in the grasslands far from the shore of the lake in the Punta Avellaneda zone.