Exotic Wildlife

Lake Titicaca’s high elevation and chilly climate ensure that only a few resilient creatures manage to survive here. Yet those that do are often highly adapted and hugely interesting. Take, for example, the Lake Titicaca frog (or Giant Frog as it’s also known), an endangered species found here and only here. It’s a unique looking frog, whose folds of loose, almost baggy looking skin give it a strange appearance. Yet it is this odd-looking extra covering that allows this aquatic frog to survive here, helping it to absorb oxygen from the water, thus allowing it to avoid exposure to harsh conditions.

The waters of and skies above Lake Titicaca are also home to healthy bird population, with about 60 feathered species present in the region. Among the beaked inhabitants of the lake area are the migratory Chilean flamingos, black night herons, the long-legged puna ibis and the black cormorant, which some islanders tether and use to help them source fish. Keen bird-watchers should be on alert for the endangered Titicaca Grebe, a flightless water bird recognizable by the reddish decorative plumes on the back of its head.

Even on land, the wildlife-watching opportunities don’t dry up. While hiking or walking in the region, you might just spot a vizcacha, a fluffy-tailed rodent that resembles a rabbit, or perhaps even an Andean skunk or fox. Then there are the domesticated animal residents, such as the irresistibly cute llamas and alpacas, which can often be seen being tended to by local herdsman during private tours of Lake Titicaca.