| The fauna of the country is as varied as its flora, though less abundant. Of the mammalian group, the species which especially
stand out are the puma, the guanaco (related to camels), the
huemul (pertaining to the family of ciervos and native to the
country), the vizcacha (a rodent with a taste for the rocky places
of the mountains or antiplano), and another ciervos relative and
the smallest of the family, the pudu, which is very difficult to
observe in the wild.
But the Chilean fauna isn't
limited to the rugged geography of the mountain range, the
aridity of the desert or the richness of the southern forests and
Patagonia. The long coastline that flanks the west of the country
also presents a great variety of species ranging from sea lions,
seals, dolphins and otters, to collosal whales in the icy
southern waters.
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