Hola from Bolivia,
As an Australian, the desert doesn’t draw me. The desert is all about the absence of life, when the best part of travel is to see how life exists in its different forms in different places. But, my advice to travellers is: don’t miss the desert of Bolivia. The wildlife is there if you look.
The sierra is almost bereft of greenery, except where the snowmelt creates creeks. And that’s where the diversity of desert life is most apparent. The migratory birds like the magnificent flamingos depend on the snowmelt.
The flamingo (order Phoenicopteriformes) is a striking bird whilst wading, but in flight, it is a magnificent sight. With neck stretched, and legs at full length behind, it creates a great spectacle, especially when in large groups. The flamingo is born with grey plumage, and it’s the beta-carotene in the algae and larvae that helps turn them such a gorgeous pink. Enzymes within the flamingo’s digestive system break down the carotenoids into pigments, absorbed by fats in the liver and deposited in their feathers. The flamingos are among the highlights of the sierra of Bolivia.
The llamas and vicuňas roam freely here, drawing moisture where they can. The vicuňas (Vicugna vicugna) are the smallest of the camel family. They are mostly undomesticated cousins of the llamas. Their coat varies in colour from light cinnamon (like these ones pictured) to pale white. When the fleece can be taken by humans, it provides terrific insulation, just like it does for the vicuňas themselves, whose habitat ranges from 3600 m to 4800 m.
The viscachas look a lot like rabbits but they are in fact rodents, similar to chinchillas. These viscachas were inhabiting sparsely vegetated rock outcrops. Sometimes, they climb up into the highest peaks in order to drink from the melted snow. The females give birth twice or thrice every year and there is only one young per litter. These ones seemed to be living off the biscuits offered by passing traffic.
The armadillos scurry to and from their burrows into the open for food. They feed on termites and other insects. This one adopted the defence mechanism of playing dead. It has more hair on the carapace than most of the nine-banded Dasypus novemcinctus armadillos.
The condors are riding the thermals searching for carrion. They are magnificent animals, enjoying sanctuary in South America from all cultures.
The sierra may not draw you like a beach resort or a volcano or a jungle, but the life is there when you look.
Adios from Bolivia
Gregorio