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SPECIES PROFILE
Culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus)
Lycalopex
IUCN STATUS
Least Concern
CONSERVATION STATUS
Least Concern
CLASS
Mammalia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Andes and Patagonia
DIET
Omnivorous
HABITAT
Andes, steppe, scrub, altiplano
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Mammalia
ORDER
Carnivora
FAMILY
Canidae
GENUS
Lycalopex
📋 Description
SIZE
Up to 1.2 m incl. tail; 5-13 kg
COLORATION
Grey back with rufous legs and head and a bushy black-tipped tail
ADAPTATIONS
Adaptable hunter across deserts, mountains and steppe
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Andes, steppe, scrub, altiplano
DIET
Omnivorous
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Andes and Patagonia
REPRODUCTION
2-5 pups
DIET DETAILS
Rodents, rabbits, birds and fruit
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Persecution by farmers
💡 Interesting Facts
1
The Andean fox, and the second-largest wild canid in South America after the maned wolf.
2
It features in Andean folklore as a clever trickster.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Torres del Paine NP
Lauca National Park
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Year-round
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Scan open Andean and Patagonian slopes at dawn and dusk; this fox is often seen trotting along trails.
