Marine Mammals

The Marine and Coastal Protected Area and Francisco Coloane Marine Park is located in an area of the Patagonian fjords and channels archipelago. This habitat inland harbors different species of wild aquatic mammals. There pdemos observe three groups or zoological orders: cetaceans, carnivores and rodents. The first are animals adapted to live their entire lives in water; the second and third have an amphibious life to a greater or lesser extent, play and rest on the ground. Among the cetaceans it noted for its abundance and frequency humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, species that visit the area during the austral summer and fall (between December and May) to feed and rest. This species breeds in tropical waters of the American Pacific where it is not fed. Another frequent but unpredictable species as is the orca whale, Orcinus orca, transiting and sometimes feeds in park waters throughout the year. Among their prey sea lions, fish and some marine birds they are counted. Occasionally we also see some examples of other whales, such as sei, Balaenoptera borealis, minke, Balaenoptera bonaerensis, order, Balaenoptera physalus and southern right, southern right whale. A second set, although more common in other parts of the region, exceptionally sighted in the area include the austral whale dolphin, Peale’s Dolphin, the dusky dolphin, L. obscurus, the overa tonina, Commerson’s Dolphin and the Chilean dolphin, C. eutropia. Among the carnivores, we have three families of marine mammals: Sea lions with two common and abundant species in the park: the southern fur seal, Arctocephalus australis, and sea lions, Otaria flavescens. They are seen all year but decrease their number in winter. In the park’s waters they can reach a combined population between 1500 and 2000 copies in the summer and both are played from December to January in a few loberas the area. solitary copies of subtropical fur seal, Arctocephalus tropicalis, like two species of the family of seals, elephant seals south, Mirounga leonina, and the leopard seal, leopard seal occasionally seen swimming or resting in the park territory. There is also a carnivore lives in the area, especially on the coast of the island Carlos III. This is the huillín or freshwater otter (which is marine Patagonian waters), southern river otter, which is often seen hunting in the intertidal, sometimes in small families. Finally, we have a semi aquatic mammal, the largest rodent in Chile, which also inhabits the islands of this archipelago. It is the coypu, Myocastor coypus, which builds burrows between coastal vegetation, walks or lies on the coast, including the camp grounds and can move in very coastal waters. It is a rather shy crepuscular animal. Except whales are migratory and summer residents of the Strait of Magellan, the remaining species are residents at local or regional level.