Project

Chinchillon Orange

Lagidium wolffsohni

Scope of the project

Little is known about the threats to the species; this is one of the topics investigated by the Patagonia Program. One of the known threats is hunting.

habitat and behavior

Chinchillas live in groups called colonies, whose composition and social organization are unknown. They live exclusively on rock faces and rocky outcrops in southern Patagonia (Argentina and Chile). They are very good climbers and seek refuge in crevices and rock cavities.

feeding

Chinchillas feed only on vegetables. We observed them eating coirón, lichens, leaves and flowers of shrubs but also calafate fruits.

reproduction

Very little is known about the reproduction of the species so we are studying this aspect of its biology carefully. It seems that females give birth to only one young per year and lactation lasts several months.

curiosity

While they can be observed during the day, chinchillas are mainly nocturnal. They can emit a very loud chirp when they detect danger which serves as a warning to all members of the colony who immediately climb the steepest walls to seek shelter.

context

Orange chinchillon project

The research project with the Orange-bellied Chinchillon, or at least the interest in working with this species, is the first project on a non-bird species in the Patagonia Program. This is not accidental, since its distribution and the environment where it lives is almost identical to that of Hooded Grebe, but its situation is even more desperate, since its global category according to the IUCN is insufficiently known (insufficient data). This means that we do not have even the minimum information to define if it is in any category of threat. The first objective was how to detect it, how to find its colonies. Subsequently, questions about its behavior, ecology and natural history began to become more complex. Currently, it is one of the most attractive lines of research with enormous conservation potential within the Patagonia Program.

patagonia in action program

Lines of research

Conservation of the Orange Chinchillon: a study to assess a species with insufficient global data

Responsible

Morgan Pendaries

State

Active

Target

The main objective is to determine the conservation status of the Orange-bellied Chinchillon and to know fundamental aspects of its natural history. For this reason, field work is carried out over the entire known distribution in Santa Cruz, with the search for new localities and colonies, in order to understand the factors that influence the size of their colonies, their reproductive biology and the impact of threats that could reduce their populations.

methodology

The methodologies we use to meet these objectives are varied and include a lot of field work. We visit walls and rocky areas that the species could occupy throughout its potential range. During these exploration campaigns, interviews are conducted with the inhabitants of the region to find out if they know the species and what use and perception they have of them. Transect surveys are conducted throughout the entire area of the Lake Buenos Aires Plateau to learn about the distribution of the species and the environmental factors that influence the size of colonies on a regional scale. Finally, individuals are captured in order to mark them, measure them and take blood samples for genetic studies. Marking individuals allows us to follow them individually throughout their lives and thus obtain valuable data such as longevity, number of offspring in a lifetime and colony composition.

Scope area

The project covers the entire range of the species in Argentina: the west of Santa Cruz Province from the shores of Lake Buenos Aires to the Turbio River.

partners

Genetic analyses are carried out in conjunction with the Molecular Ecology Research Group (GIEM-INEDES) of the University of Luján.

results and progress

To date we were able to detect the presence of the Orange-bellied Chinchillon in different sectors of the plateau of Lago Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Perito Moreno and Los Glaciares National Parks, and in other localities of the province such as the plateau of Las Vizcachas. We published a scientific outreach article in the journal Aves Argentinas and several abstracts at congresses, with the first at the 2017 JAM. Also in 2019, Morgan Pendaries presented her master's thesis on the species.