Fauna
The Yendegaia National Park protects particularly threatened species such as the Culpeo Fox of Tierra del Fuego, the Huillín and the Canquén Colorado. It is also the habitat of 49 species of both terrestrial and marine birds, among which the Bandurria, the Pidén Austral, and Condor stand out, while in the forests it is usual to see Comesebos, Rayaditos, Cachañas and Magellanic Woodpeckers. The Guanaco is a common inhabitant of the pampas, like the Tucu. Two-haired sea lions, Chungungos, Toninas Overas, Minke Whales, Franco Austral, Orcas and Cachalote also inhabit the coasts of Yendegaia.
Culture
The first inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego were the Selknam, who were feared warriors, seasoned hunters, expert trackers and one of the tallest native peoples on the continent, with an average height of 1.80 meters. Their main prey was the Guanaco, which they hunted with their bows and arrows. At the Hain, their initiation ceremony, they masterfully painted their bodies and wore tree bark masks to represent the demons of the forest. The Miter peninsula also inhabited the Haush, whose language was different from Selknam. They were expert climbers and they would enter at night by the immense cliffs tied only with a leather rope to surprise the sleeping birds. They remain to this day the most unknown southern ethnic group since at the beginning of the 20th century they had practically disappeared from the territory. In 2018, the first and only record of cave paintings was found on the island of Tierra del Fuego, in the Ponsomby Sound. They date back to the 16th century and belong to the Yámana canoe ethnic group, fishermen and gatherers who sailed along the shores of Tierra del Fuego in canoes made from the bark of Coigüe.
