Know Before You Go
Patagonia Nature Trivia
Can you name the largest predator in Patagonia or how much fresh water the Perito Moreno glacier contains? Take our quiz below to put your knowledge to the test, then share it with your family and friends to see who knows the most about Patagonia! When you're finished, scroll down to reveal the correct answers and explanations.
Answer Explanations:
The Andean condor has the largest wingspan of any land bird in the world.
Correct Answer: True
Explanation: With a wingspan that can stretch over 10 feet, the Andean condor has the largest wingspan of any land bird. A few seabirds have longer wingspans, including pelicans and albatrosses. The seafaring wandering albatross, with a wingspan of nearly 12 feet, has the longest wingspan of any bird.
Photo Credits—Quiz header: Eric Rock; Condor: Cassiano (Zapa) Zaparoli
The Perito Moreno glacier in Los Glaciares National Park has the:
Correct Answer: The third largest reserve of fresh water in the world.
Explanation: The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest freshwater reserve on Earth. The Greenland ice sheet and Perito Moreno ice field are the second- and third-largest reserves in the world. Photo Credit—Cassiano (Zapa) Zaparoli
The lesser rhea is named after Rhea in Greek mythology, who was the:
Correct Answer: All of the above
Explanation: In Greek mythology, Rhea is the Titaness daughter of the sky god Uranus and earth goddess Gaia. Rhea married Cronus and was the mother of the Olympian gods and goddesses, including Zeus (king of the gods), Hera (queen of the gods), Poseidon (god of the sea), Hades (god of the underworld) and Hestia (goddess of the hearth).
Photo Credit—William Warby [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons
These cubs will grow into Patagonia's largest predator. Which species are they?
Correct Answer: Andean puma
Explanation: The puma is the largest predator in Patagonia—its favored prey is guanacos. Both the pampas cat and Geoffrey's cat are about the size of a large domestic cat—the pampas cat's coat has six color variations while Geoffrey's cat has a tan or grayish pelt with black spots.
What is the largest lake in Patagonia?
Correct Answer: Lago Argentino
Explanation: With a surface area of 546 square miles, Lago Argentino in Los Glaciares National Park is the largest freshwater lake in Patagonia. Photo Credit—Elissa Poma
The Patagonian mara, sometimes called the Patagonian hare, is a species of:
Correct Answer: Rodent
Explanation: Though it appears to be a species of rabbit or small deer, the Patagonian mara is actually a rodent, like the better-known capybara.
The fossilized skeleton of the largest dinosaur to walk the earth was found in Patagonia.
Correct Answer: True
Explanation: Patagotitan, a titanosaurian sauropod, was unearthed from the Cerro Barcino Formation in Patagonia. Its bones revealed that it was 121 feet long and weighed approximately 152,000 pounds. The forest-dwelling dinosaur lived during the late Cretaceous period, more than 95 million years ago.
The culpeo, also known as the Andean fox, is the largest canid species in South America.
Correct Answer: False
Explanation: The largest South American canid is the maned wolf—the Andean fox comes in second.
Photo Credit—Christian Mehlführer [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons
This Patagonian species is the smallest deer in the world:
Correct Answer: Southern pudu
Explanation: The southern pudu is the smallest deer species, while the huemul deer is part of Chile's national coat of arms. Vicunas and guanacos are not deer—they are the two South American camelid species that can be found in the Andes.
Photo Credit—Huemul deer: Ricardo Hevia Kaluf [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons; Southern pudu: Rodrigo Fernández, Los Lagos Region, Chile, November 2001 [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons
At 3,646 years old, Gran Abuelo, a Patagonian cypress, is the longest living tree on Earth.
Correct Answer: False
Explanation: At over 5,000 years old, the oldest individual tree is the Great Basin bristlecone pine in California. Many botanists believe that Gran Abuelo in Alerce Costero National Park is the second-longest living tree on Earth. Due to heavy logging in the 19th and 20th centuries, many age-old Patagonian cypresses were cut down, so it is likely that Patagonian cypresses older than Gran Abuelo existed.
Which Patagonian animal is a member of the chinchilla family?
Correct Answer: Wolffsohn’s Mountain Viscacha
Explanation: Viscachas are members of the chinchilla family, lesser grisons are Mustelidae (a family of carnivorous mammals including weasels), hog-nosed skunks are in the skunk and stink badger family and coypu are rodents.
Photo Credits—Viscacha: Alexandre Buisse [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons; Lesser grison: Ken Erickson [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons; Hog-nosed skunk: Payayita [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr
Which of these Patagonia predators is the smallest wild cat in the Americas?
Correct Answer: Kodkod
Explanation: The smallest wild cat in North and South America is the kodkod, which has a tan coat with black spots. Andean mountain cats have ashy-gray fur and bushy tails and are found high in the Andes. They are similar in appearance to pampas cats. Patagonian gray foxes are actually canids related to wolves and jackals. They are part of the genus Lycalopex, the "false" foxes.
Fun Fact: Melanistic kodkods with gleaming spotted black coats occur quite frequently.
Photo Credit—Patagonia gray fox: Robert Anthony; Kodkod: Mauro Tammone [CC BY 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons; Andean mountain cat: Jim Sanderson [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons
The only armadillo in the world that can hibernate is found in Patagonia. It is the:
Correct Answer: Dwarf armadillo
Explanation: The dwarf armadillo, or pichi, is the only armadillo on Earth that can hibernate. The pink fairy armadillo is 3.5 to 4.5 inches long and is the smallest species of armadillo. The large hairy armadillo is one of the biggest and most common armadillos in South America.
Photo Credits—Large hairy armadillo: Elissa Poma; Pink fairy armadillo: Cliff [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons; Dwarf armadillo: Mikelzubi (Argentina, Patagonia) [CC BY 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons
This berry is named after a famous Argentinean town, and legend states that anyone who eats it will return to Patagonia one day.
Correct Answer: Calafate berry
Explanation: Local lore states that those who eat the calafate berry while in Patagonia will return one day. These berries are named after El Calafate, a town located at the gateway of Los Glaciares National Park. Wild currants, like calafate berries, are used to make delicious jams. Chaura berries have a pink-white hue and a strawberry flavor.
Photo Credit—Eric Rock