This Patagonian gray fox was taking a break from chewing on a bone in order to scratch an itch. Photographed in the Chilean side of Patagonia in Torres del Paine National Park. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.

Yellow-billed teal are a duck species native to the southern half of South America. This flock was flying over a lake in Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonian Chile. A bit of rain and autumn colors on the hillside provided a nice backdrop. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second.

These two guanacos (relatives of the llama) were resting on the ground as a light but steady rain fell on the Patagonian landscape. I got as low as I could to capture just their heads popping up over a small hill. Amazing to me how much the one on the right looks like a kangaroo. They are actually in the camel family, and well… they look like camels too. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.

Two guanacos traverse a hill beneath the massive face of a mountain in Torres Del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. Torres Del Paine is the land of the puma. Guanacos are their favorite prey and the park is filled with them. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

Also known as the South American gray fox, the chilla and the gray zorro, the Patagonian fox lives throughout southern South America. I came across this one in extreme southern Chile in Torres Del Paine National Park. He seemed particularly pleased with his scratching technique. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

This puma was stalking a small herd of guanacos in Chilean Patagonia. I used a slow shutter speed to pan with the puma as she made her move (which would prove to be unsuccessful on this particular attempt). Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/22 at 1/13th of a second.

These birds are fairly common throughout much of South America. I photographed this one way down toward the southern tip of the continent in Puerto Natales, Chile. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/1000th of a second.

Guanacos are to llamas as horses are to donkeys. In other words they are the wild ancestors of their domesticated cousins. This is a young guanaco, photographed in the Patagonian wilds of Torres Del Paine National Park in southern Chile. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/4000th of a second.

This was the only owl I saw on my trip to Patagonia — a Magellanic horned owl. It may look like our great horned owls, but is a separate species. Also known as the lesser horned owl, they range from the southern tip of South America up to the central Andes. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.

This is one of those shots that I haven’t shared yet because it’s pretty mediocre photographically. But it is a species of note. Known locally as the culpeo. Or zorro culpeo. Or Andean zorro, Andean fox, Paramo wolf, or Andean wolf. Mostly, however, they call it the culpeo fox. But it isn’t a true fox. It’s more closely related to wolves and jackals. And it isn’t particularly rare. Or endangered. That said, the culpeo, for the most part, stays out of sight. We caught this one walking through the tall grass while we were driving from the southern tip of South America, up into Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. It’s the second largest canid species in South America, behind the maned wolf.Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.