Fact Sheet on Guanaco Migration

Living at the base of the Patagonian Andes, guanacos typically perform short distance, altitudinal migrations. The guanacos of this region, composed of private reserves and state and federal protected areas, exhibit partial migration in 74 percent of the radiocollared animals. Here, guanacos were flexible in their migratory behavior, with a portion of resident individuals becoming migratory depending on conditions in a given year. Their summer ranges are usually located at higher altitudes than winter ranges, with animals moving up in elevation toward the mountains during spring. Key drivers of migration include primary plant productivity and winter conditions. Migratory guanacos consume high quality forage year-round, as their use of winter and summer ranges coincides with the peak of plant green up in both areas. They also avoid deep snow by migrating to low-elevation winter ranges, which are often free of snow. Prior to this study, guanacos’ migratory movements had not been described in this region.