• About me
  • Advertising/PR
  • Links

Beyond Blighty

Adventure Travel Exposed

  • Beyond Blighty’s Top Travel Destinations
  • Adventure
  • Scuba Diving
  • Responsible Tourism
  • Wildlife
  • Gear
  • Tips

The Wildlife of Puerto Madryn

March 10, 2013 by Arianwen Morris 18 Comments

The wildlife of Puerto Madryn is astounding, and one of its biggest draws is the fact that you can sometimes see orcas virtually beaching themselves in their hunt for sea lions and elephants seals.

The wildlife of Puerto Madryn - killer whale hunt

Image taken from carnivoraforum.com

The peak season for this behaviour is March, but you might get lucky at other times too. We actually tool the tour on Boxing Day and our guide said they’d seen them the day before.

Despite our disappointment that we hadn’t seen a killer whale, there were plenty of other cool animals to take our mind off it.

WILDLIFE OF PUERTO MADRYN

PENGUINS

The wildlife of Puerto Madryn - penguins

Everyone loves a penguin. I could have spent hours observing these cute little fellows waddling about awkwardly and pulling sullen expressions as they battled against the strong coastal winds.

RHEAS

The wildlife of Puerto Madryn - rheas

Similar to ostriches, but apparently not related, these massive birds made a strange sight as they ambled over the rocky shore in a long line of follow the leader.

GUANACOS

The wildlife of Puerto Madryn - guanacos

Related to llamas, but not as cute, or as hairy, guanacos are another species that wouldn’t immediately spring to mind as you conjure up images of the sea side.

ARMADILLOS

The wildlife of Puerto Madryn - armadillo

We almost ran over this little chap in our jeep. I’ve never seen an armadillo in the wild. Apparently they’re quite rare now in Argentina because people used to track them down and eat them for dinner. I can’t imagine this one would feed many.

MARAS

The wildlife of Puerto Madryn - mara

This weird cross between a rabbit and a deer is another oddity of the Argentinian scrub lands.

ELEPHANT SEALS

The wildlife of Puerto Madryn - bloody elephant seal

This little elephant seal would be the picture of innocence if it wasn’t for the mass of congealed blood around his mouth. I still want to keep him.

MORAL OF THE STORY

The wildlife of Puerto Madryn - yawning elephant seal

I could have watched this little pup for hours. He would stretch, yawn (covering his mouth with his paw!), scratch his head and slump back down on the beach like life couldn’t have been tougher.

Even if you head there out of season, the wildlife of Puerto Madryn is intriguing and wonderful. Please don’t pass up on it just because those pesky killer whales are off navigating the Atlantic instead of slaughtering little furry pups like the one above!

Comments

  1. Les Petits Pas de Juls says

    March 10, 2013 at 4:34 pm

    well, you would have been pretty lucky to see them! but when they are in, they truly are a sight! I was in Puerto Madryn for southern right whale season (which usually starts in june, but we were there late may) and had the chance to watch a few from the shore. a wonderful sight…
    good point of your article : there’s always some beautiful wildlife to see in Valdez Peninsula!

    Cheers to the rest of the trip!
    Les Petits Pas de Juls recently posted..(tricked) Phoneography Challenge : my NeighborhoodMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      March 10, 2013 at 7:40 pm

      Yeah, I knew it wasn’t likely, but after the clouds covered Fitz Roy a few weeks earlier, I felt like I was owed one!! It was still an amazing place though. The penguins were my favourite!

      Reply
  2. TammyOnTheMove says

    March 11, 2013 at 4:15 am

    Look at those eyes of the seal. Gorgeous! I saw lots of wildlife when I went to the Galapagos Islands a few years ago, but the penguins have a very special place in my heart. They are just so darn cute!
    TammyOnTheMove recently posted..Flashback Friday: The time I thought I’d be eaten by a sharkMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      March 11, 2013 at 7:23 pm

      Yeah, I loved the Galapagos too. Nothing will ever beat that experience, but the penguins were better in Puerto Madryn…

      Reply
  3. Shaun says

    March 11, 2013 at 12:40 pm

    The seal is super cute! They’re like water-dogs and I really like dogs.

    That last pic is hilarious “I’m sorry I have something stuck in my teeth”

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      March 11, 2013 at 7:25 pm

      I could have watched that seal all day. It was so entertaining. Every time it woke up it would do a proper stretch and yawn, just like a human :)

      Reply
  4. Andrea says

    March 11, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    Wow, so much variety – I love seeing animals in the wild
    Andrea recently posted..Seeking Orangutans On a Sumatran Jungle TrekMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      March 11, 2013 at 7:30 pm

      Me too! My two best travel experiences were a Galapagos cruise and Tanzanian safari. You can’t beat it!!

      Reply
  5. Ayngelina says

    March 11, 2013 at 8:50 pm

    That elephant seal is adorable! But don’t go to SeaWorld again, that is a very bad place for animals :(
    Ayngelina recently posted..Thriving on uncertaintyMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      March 12, 2013 at 10:00 am

      Ok. I promise! That was many, many years ago now. I was 11. I know better now :)

      Reply
  6. Lucy says

    March 12, 2013 at 12:04 pm

    Shame about the whales but I love the seal and penguin pics, so cute!
    Lucy recently posted..Just a drop: A port wine tasting in PortoMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      March 12, 2013 at 1:12 pm

      I know. I guess you can’t have it all. And maybe it wouldn’t have been so great to see one of those cute seals get eaten alive!

      Reply
  7. Mary says

    March 12, 2013 at 9:46 pm

    Seems like it was a successful trip for seeing lots of wildlife, nonetheless. Those seals are so cute… I’d like to cuddle one too, but I think it would have nothing to do with me.
    Mary recently posted..Popes and Swiss GuardsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      March 13, 2013 at 11:58 am

      I was actually surprised by how close we could get to these seal pups, but I think you’re right. A cuddle might have been a step too far… :)

      Reply
  8. Dream Holidays Guide says

    March 13, 2013 at 10:35 am

    awww, the elephant seal is so lovely! :)
    Dream Holidays Guide recently posted..Timeless Rome : Ancient SightsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      March 13, 2013 at 11:59 am

      I think there’s a clear favourite out of the animals in this post!

      Reply
  9. Cassie says

    March 14, 2013 at 10:12 pm

    So sorry you didn’t see the orcas, but it looks like you saw some amazing stuff anyway! The mara is so cute, and I’ve an animal I’ve never even heard of.

    I’ve never seen elephant seal babies that close up, it’s funny that the elephant-like nose hasn’t developed yet. Did you see any of the adults? They are amazing creatures, and so big! They overwinter only about an hour from where I live here in CA so we try to go see them each year.
    Cassie recently posted..Photographic Guide to the GalapagosMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      March 15, 2013 at 12:29 am

      I hadn’t heard of a mara either. They definitely have some weird creatures over there! As for the elephant seals, there were a few adults about but none of them had the really big noses. I was a bit disappointed by that too, although whenever I’ve seen them on nature programmes they freaked me out!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

FIND ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Search Beyond Blighty

TOP DESTINATIONS

001 Argentina 001 Australia.jpg Belize Posts 001 Bolivia.jpg 001 Brazil cambodia 1 001 Chile 001 Colombia 001 Costa Rica 001 Ecuador Stockholm1 001 Guatemala INDONESIA Laos 001 Mexico.jpg 001 New Zealand 001 Peru Philippines SINGAPORE SPAIN 001 Tanzania 001 Thailand Vietnam Posts

WHO’S BEHIND IT ALL?

About Beyond Blighty

GET THE NEWSLETTER

AWARDS

Blog_badge_Badge4_Most Fearless
Top Travel Blogs 2016

As Seen On…

Adventure

Adventure Posts

Wildlife

Wildlife Posts

Scuba Diving

Scuba Diving Posts

Copyright © 2021 · Beyond Blighty