Perito Moreno National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Perito Moreno) is a national park in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. It is located in the western region of Santa Cruz Province on the border with

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. It has an area of 126,830 hectares of mountains and valleys at a height of 900 metres above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

History

The park is one of the oldest in Argentina having been established in 1937. It is named in honour of the explorer

Francisco Moreno Francisco Pascasio Moreno (May 31, 1852 – November 22, 1919) was a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina, where he is usually referred to as ''Perito'' Moreno (''perito'' means "specialist, expert"). Perito Moreno has been credited as on ...

. It was expanded in 2013 with a donation from Tompkins Conservation. The co-founder of Tompkins Conservation, Doug Tompkins first became intrigued by Perito Moreno National Park in 1968 as he passed by the area on a climbing expedition and saw Cerro San Lorenzo, Patagonia's second highest peak. He visited the park in 1991 with friends

Yvon Chouinard Yvon Chouinard (born November 9, 1938) is an American rock climber, environmentalist, philanthropist and outdoor industry businessman. His company, Patagonia, is known for its commitment to protecting the environment. Chouinard is also a surf ...

and Rick Ridgeway and the following year negotiated the purchase of roughly 37,000-acres of private land within the park, which his organization managed as wildlife habitat and allowed to rewild. That tract was donated to the national parks administration in 2013.

Geography

Climate

The park has a cold climate ranging from a wet climate in the west to a dry one in the east. The park experiences strong and persistent westerly winds throughout the year. Mean annual rainfall ranges from in the west to in the east. Temperatures can fall below in winter. During summer, the mean temperature is around . Snowfalls can occur in every month.

Terrain

The park is located at around 900 metres above sea level, which is the height at which the valleys are inhabited. A series of mountain chains traverse the park from east to west and from north to south, resembling an imposing amphitheater. Inside the protected area the highest peak is ''cerro Heros'' (Heros hill) at 2,770 m. Nearby, but outside the boundary of the park lies the imposing ''cerro San Lorenzo'' ( Monte San Lorenzo) which reaches 3,707 m in height,World Wildlife Fund; C. Michael Hogan. 2010
''Magellanic subpolar forests''. Encyclopedia of Earth, National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC
/ref> which is generally covered by clouds. To the north of the lake Belgrano the ''cerro Leon'' (Lion hill) reaches 1,380 m and to the east of the same lake, the ''Gorra de Vasco'' (Basque peak) reaches 1,140 m. Inside the Park the ''Sierra Colorada'' (Red plain) is distinguished, of some 1,200 m, whose western slope is very abrupt, and whose coloring gives its name.

Hydrography

Two main basins are distinguished, one on the Pacific side and the other on the Atlantic. They comprise eight lakes including Belgrano Lake along with numerous rivers and streams. The Pacific basin feeds into the ''lago Mogote'' (lake Mogote), which then flows into ''lago Volcán'' (lake Volcano). The Atlantic basin features ''lago Burmeister'' (lake Burmeister) at 932 m. The many rivers in the basin traverse the Santa Cruz province and eventually reach the Atlantic to the east.

Flora and fauna

Of the 24 species of mammal that can be found in the park the most exotic and endangered species is the small wildcat ''gato pajero'' ('' Lynchailurus pajeros''). Another small wildcat found within the park is the ''gato huiña'' (''Oncifelis guigna'') which is also endangered. Other species include

guanaco The guanaco (; ''Lama guanicoe'') is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids, the other being the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations. Etymology The guanaco ...

, puma ( cougar), Patagonian fox, dwarf armadillo, ferret, skunk,

tuco-tuco A tuco-tuco is a neotropical rodent in the family Ctenomyidae.Parada, A., G. D’Elia, C.J. Bidau, and E.P. Lessa. 2011. Species Groups and the Evolutionary Diversification of Tuco-Tucos, genus ''Ctenomys'' (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae). ''Journal of M ...

and

south Andean deer The south Andean deer (''Hippocamelus bisulcus''), also known as the southern guemal, south Andean huemul, southern huemul, or Chilean ''huemul'' or '' güemul'' ( , ), is an endangered species of deer native to the mountains of Argentina and Chi ...

. A hundred and fifteen species of bird have been recorded in the park, including peregrine falcon,

hooded grebe The hooded grebe (''Podiceps gallardoi''), is a medium-sized grebe found in the southern region of Argentina. It grows to about in length, and is black and white in color. It is found in isolated lakes in the most remote parts of Patagonia and s ...

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbea ...

andean goose The Andean goose (''Chloephaga melanoptera'') is a species of waterfowl in tribe Tadornini of subfamily Anserinae.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the bird ...

, ''

Podiceps ''Podiceps'' is a genus of birds in the grebe family. The genus name comes from Latin ''podicis'', "rear-end" and ''ped'', "foot", and is a reference to the placement of a grebe's legs towards the rear of its body. It has representatives breed ...

'', and several species of

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

s and

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

References

External links

Official website
*https://rewildingargentina.org/parks-for-conservation/ {{authority control National parks of Argentina Protected areas of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina Protected areas established in 1937