Chile-Blog

[davx]

Hello,

I found this video:

Degus in the National Zoo in Chile:



Well the quality isn't the best but it gives us an impression about degus in a Chilean zoo.

I hope that I find further interesting videos and other interesting stuff about degus, wildlife and Chile... I intend to post it here .

[davx]

I searched a bit about Chilean zoos and degus and found this one:

Buin Zoo:
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buin_Zoo
www.buinzoo.cl/

There is also a youtube-channel:
www.youtube.com/user/TVBuinZoo

[davx]

I started to create a map with study areas where degus are found:
g.co/maps/76s7t

[blossombrooks]

That's cool! They look like they have some fantastic national parks there. If I ever get another boy goo I'm calling him Santiago. 

[davx]

They have... In general Chile has so many national parks, reserves etc.

But the places where studies are conducted are not always parks or something like that.

[makeriotsnotdiets]

I was in Chile this time last year. this is the zoo I visited in Santiago.

www.parquemet.cl/index.php?cat_id=1

[makeriotsnotdiets]

and you right Davx... it's absolutely beautiful there... except for all the stray dogs roaming everywhere and homeless people taking baths in city centre water fountains and going toilet wherever they please.

I can't wait to go again! maybe to do this

www.chinchillaplace.com/Portals/1675/docs/03volunteers.pdf

(maybe not, now that I have goo's to look after)

[makeriotsnotdiets]

here's some other things going on in Chile (sorry davx I seem to be overloading your thead, when I get rolling I keep going) tell me to stop and i will

runningfrommurphy.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-bit-about-our-research/

this blog below seems to be quite interesting. especially the (detailed) post about degu sex!

degustress.blogspot.com/2011/05/so-why-are-you-going-to-chile-for-5.html

[davx]

Thank you for your comments.
Did you take some photos in Chile?

[makeriotsnotdiets]

yes but I'm not sure if I got any of the degu. I'll have a look tomorrow when my girlfriend is home from uni with my harddrive.

[davx]

I meant photos from the landscape (=potential degu habitat).

[makeriotsnotdiets]

ha I didn't think you meant from the zoo I'll have a look tomorrow for you

[makeriotsnotdiets]

Hi Davx,

sorry, no pictures of potential Degu habitat pictures from me. I have sent emails to 2 friends I have in Chile. one is a pro photographer and the other semi-pro. maybe they will have pictures.

[deguconvert]

OOOOO!! How exciting!! I anticipate hearing or seeing what may result from your enquiries!!

[davx]

How sad, that you haven't any photos. But what you write sounds amazing. Contact with Chilean photographers... wow!e
Where do they live? Which region or part of the country? In central Chile, little North or more in the southern parts?

Perhaps what can help, I have abundant information about degu habitats with geo coordinates. Well especially in older literature they often are imprecise, but giving a clue where to search for this little creatures.

Also important to know is, that degu densities are dependent from weather and ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) as well as from latitude (as a function of abundance of precipitation, the more north the less abundant). Highest densities are reported for habitats around Santiago. E. g. the small town Lampa close to Santiago (it lies some 20 km away) is a favourable trapping site for Chilean researchers.

[makeriotsnotdiets]

one lived in Santiago and the other in a town 37km away called Peñaflor (but is now living in Australia).

Hopefully I will go back next year in January. I was disappointed that I had little time there and that I missed Patagonia and the Atacama desert. but in the meantime, any info found will be posted here

[davx]

I also plan to visit Chile, a friend of mine too. Planed was this autumn but perhaps not before next year. Actually I think in smaller steps. This spring I'll travel to the Canary Islands... preparation for Chile, the climate, the vegetation, the people (spanish speaking environment). Today I was in Ticino, around 18 °C, sunshine, flowering shrubs and trees. It is the warmest region here in Switzerland and the climate as well as plants are similar to the Mediterranean Basin. But in contrast to earlier times, I took no photos.

Btw. here are the photos from last autumn:
www.flickr.com/photos/degupedia/sets/72157628237809439/detail/

[makeriotsnotdiets]

lovely photos

I have heard back from my pro friend and he says that he doesn't have any still to hear back from my other friend.

as for myself, after a little light reading in a paper called ,"Plant patterning in the Chilean matorraal: Are the roles of Native mammals and exotic mammals different?" I've come across 4 shrubs/tree that are native to Chile and were used in this study between degu & Europen rabbits.

you may or may not know them:
colliguaja odorifera (euphorbiaceae)
kageneckia oblonga (rosaceae)
lithraea caustica (Anacardiaceae) - The tree is a well known allergenic and can cause a rash of the skin, the effects and suceptibilty of which can vary greatly from person to person!!!
Quillaja saponaria (Quillajaceae)

the scource for this is:
www.conservacion.cl/Quienes/JAS/018.pdf
&
www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr058/psw_gtr058_3a_fuentes.pdf

[davx]

Wow, yes I know both studies. From the plants I only know Qillaja saponaria, in German "Seifenrindenbaum". I saw this plant in the botanical garden in København Danmark. From the other three shrubs I only know their names.
Actually I have three other ones growing here: Espino (Acacia caven), Porlieria chilensis and Quilo (Muehlenbeckia hastulata).

[makeriotsnotdiets]

yes, I was reading your chilean plant thread earlier. nice pics where did you buy the seeds? chileflora?

Oh, i heard back from my other photo friend. he says he may have some pics in his old files... so fingers crossed!!!