El Palmar National Park

🇦🇷 Argentina

🐹 Capybaras Among the Yatay Palms

⏱ 1–2 days 🥾 Easy trails

🌍 #59 Global · 4.3 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ #8 in South America #31 in Savanna & Grassland

Litoral, Argentina 554 spp. recorded

El Palmar protects a stand of yatay palms on the Uruguay river, and the grassland under them is open enough that the animals are simply there to be walked up to. Capybaras graze the low ground on more than nine visits in ten and black-and-white tegus cross the tracks on eight.

-31.900° S 58.256° W

Wildlife

⭐ Iconic Species

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

80–90% · Very likely

Argentine Black-and-white Tegu

Salvator merianae

50–60% · Likely

Plains Viscacha

Lagostomus maximus

70–80% · Very likely

Crab-eating Fox

Cerdocyon thous

60–70% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Zonotrichia capensis

80–90% · Very likely

Monk Parakeet

Myiopsitta monachus

80–90% · Very likely

Eared Dove

Zenaida auriculata

70–80% · Very likely

Creamy-bellied Thrush

Turdus amaurochalinus

70–80% · Very likely

Plush-crested Jay

Cyanocorax chrysops

70–80% · Very likely

Golden-billed Saltator

Saltator aurantiirostris

70–80% · Very likely

Sayaca Tanager

Thraupis sayaca

70–80% · Very likely

Tropical Parula

Setophaga pitiayumi

70–80% · Likely

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

60–70% · Likely

Rufous Hornero

Furnarius rufus

60–70% · Likely

Rufous-bellied Thrush

Turdus rufiventris

60–70% · Likely

Roadside Hawk

Rupornis magnirostris

60–70% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

80–90% · Very likely

Plains Viscacha

Lagostomus maximus

70–80% · Very likely

Crab-eating Fox

Cerdocyon thous

60–70% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Pampas Fox

Lycalopex gymnocercus

50–60% · Likely

Six-banded Armadillo

Euphractus sexcinctus

40–50% · Likely

Axis Deer

Axis axis

40–50% · Likely

Nine-banded Armadillo

Dasypus novemcinctus

20–30% · Possible

Lesser Grison

Galictis cuja

20–30% · Possible

Coypu

Myocastor coypus

Insufficient data

Crab-eating Raccoon

Procyon cancrivorus

Insufficient data

Vampire Bat

Desmodus rotundus

Insufficient data

Lesser Long-nosed Armadillo

Dasypus septemcinctus

Insufficient data

Geoffroy's Cat

Leopardus geoffroyi

Insufficient data

Neotropical Otter

Lontra longicaudis

Insufficient data

Blackbuck

Antilope cervicapra

Insufficient data

📊 Most Spotted

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Zonotrichia capensis

80–90% · Very likely

Monk Parakeet

Myiopsitta monachus

80–90% · Very likely

Eared Dove

Zenaida auriculata

70–80% · Very likely

Creamy-bellied Thrush

Turdus amaurochalinus

70–80% · Very likely

Plush-crested Jay

Cyanocorax chrysops

70–80% · Very likely

Golden-billed Saltator

Saltator aurantiirostris

70–80% · Very likely

Sayaca Tanager

Thraupis sayaca

70–80% · Very likely

Tropical Parula

Setophaga pitiayumi

70–80% · Likely

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

60–70% · Likely

Rufous Hornero

Furnarius rufus

60–70% · Likely

Rufous-bellied Thrush

Turdus rufiventris

60–70% · Likely

Roadside Hawk

Rupornis magnirostris

60–70% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

Argentine Black-and-white Tegu

Salvator merianae

50–60% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Black-bellied Slider

Trachemys dorbigni

Insufficient data

Broad-snouted Caiman

Caiman latirostris

20–30% · Possible

Urutu Lancehead

Bothrops alternatus

20–30% · Possible

Yellow-bellied Liophis

Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus

Insufficient data

Lichtenstein's Green Racer

Philodryas olfersii

Insufficient data

False Mussurana

Boiruna maculata

Insufficient data

King's Worm Lizard

Amphisbaena kingii

Insufficient data

Striped Worm Lizard

Ophiodes striatus

Insufficient data

South American Hognose Snake

Xenodon dorbignyi

Insufficient data

Ocellated Whiptail Lizard

Teius oculatus

Insufficient data

Fronted Ground Snake

Lygophis flavifrenatus

Insufficient data

Silver-lined Worm Lizard

Ophiodes intermedius

Insufficient data

📊 Most Spotted

Cururu Toad

Rhinella diptycha

20–30% · Possible

Oven Frog

Leptodactylus latinasus

20–30% · Possible

Montevideo Tree Frog

Boana pulchella

Insufficient data

Wrestler Frog

Leptodactylus luctator

Insufficient data

Lesser Snouted Tree Frog

Scinax nasicus

Insufficient data

Two-colored oval frog

Elachistocleis bicolor

Insufficient data

Hensel's Swamp Frog

Pseudopaludicola falcipes

Insufficient data

Mustached Frog

Leptodactylus mystacinus

Insufficient data

Hensel's Dwarf Frog

Physalaemus henselii

Insufficient data

Striped Snouted Tree Frog

Scinax squalirostris

Insufficient data

Dumeril's Striped Frog

Leptodactylus gracilis

Insufficient data

Argentine Snouted Tree Frog

Scinax granulatus

Insufficient data

Animal Events

🐸

Frog Chorus in the Palm Grassland

JanFebMar

Rococo toads and oven frogs breed in the flooded grassland and call through the night.

Cururu Toad

Rhinella diptycha

20–30% · Possible

🦎

Tegus and Capybaras in the Warm Months

NovDecJan

Black-and-white tegus are active across the open ground and capybara groups graze the low grass.

Argentine Black-and-white Tegu

Salvator merianae

50–60% · Likely

Plains Viscacha

Lagostomus maximus

70–80% · Very likely

🦊

Foxes and Sliders in

JunJulAug

Crab-eating foxes are seen along the tracks and d'Orbigny's sliders bask on the river logs.

Crab-eating Fox

Cerdocyon thous

60–70% · Likely

Black-bellied Slider

Trachemys dorbigni

Insufficient data

Sighting Calendar

Chance of spotting each species, month by month

Species Total

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

60–70

70–80

60–70

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

90–100

90–100

70–80

90–100

80–90

80–90

80–90

Argentine Black-and-white Tegu

60–70

60–70

50–60

30–40

40–50

20–30

10–20

20–30

60–70

70–80

70–80

60–70

Plains Viscacha

60–70

50–60

80–90

80–90

70–80

80–90

70–80

80–90

60–70

80–90

80–90

70–80

Crab-eating Fox

60–70

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

80–90

80–90

70–80

70–80

50–60

50–60

30–40

Rufous-collared Sparrow

80–90

90–100

80–90

70–80

90–100

70–80

90–100

70–80

90–100

80–90

80–90

90–100

70–80

80–90

70–80

70–80

80–90

70–80

80–90

70–80

90–100

70–80

70–80

80–90

80–90

80–90

60–70

60–70

50–60

60–70

80–90

70–80

80–90

80–90

70–80

80–90

Creamy-bellied Thrush

70–80

80–90

50–60

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

60–70

80–90

80–90

80–90

70–80

Plush-crested Jay

60–70

80–90

80–90

70–80

80–90

70–80

70–80

80–90

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

Golden-billed Saltator

70–80

80–90

80–90

70–80

70–80

70–80

60–70

60–70

60–70

70–80

60–70

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

60–70

70–80

60–70

70–80

50–60

70–80

70–80

Tropical Parula

60–70

70–80

70–80

80–90

80–90

60–70

60–70

50–60

70–80

60–70

60–70

70–80

Crested Caracara

50–60

80–90

70–80

60–70

70–80

60–70

70–80

70–80

70–80

60–70

60–70

70–80

60–70

80–90

70–80

70–80

50–60

60–70

80–90

60–70

70–80

40–50

50–60

70–80

Rufous-bellied Thrush

60–70

60–70

50–60

60–70

70–80

50–60

70–80

60–70

70–80

60–70

60–70

70–80

60–70

80–90

70–80

60–70

70–80

70–80

50–60

50–60

80–90

50–60

40–50

50–60

Animal Events

🦎 Tegus and Capybaras in the Warm Months

🐸 Frog Chorus in the Palm Grassland

🦊 Foxes and Sliders in

Sighting Zones

Warm areas are where all species together are recorded most, so they track where people go as much as where animals are. For one species, see the map on its own page.

0.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ Excellent

🐹 Capybaras Among the Yatay Palms

🦜

Biodiversity

Very good

How rich is the wildlife?

4.3 Global avg

4.5 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Species by taxon

🦅 Birds

377

🐒 Mammals

80

🦎 Reptiles

67

🐸 Amphibians

30

554 Total Species

841 Global average across 280 parks

16 Threatened 23 Endemic

🔭

Sighting

Excellent

How likely to see animals?

3.6 Global avg

4.3 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

🎯

Top-12 Avg Probability

62% Global avg

76%

📊

Coverage (167 species at ≥5% of 554 in the inventory)

24% Global avg

30%

🔀

Taxon variety in top 12 (10 bird, 2 mammal)

47% Global avg

37%

🔭

Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)

132 Global avg

118

🌟

Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)

14 Global avg

11

⭐

High-prob species (>40%)

26 Global avg

39

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