Bolivia: alar Uyuni – Mountain Vizcachas
Isla Incahuasi is also home to absolutely amazing antiplano animals – mountain Vizcachas. The viscachas are peculiar animals endemic to the High Andean plateau – they look like rabbits but have long tails and are rodents. On Isla Incahuasi, they live among the giant Trichoreus cacti and the rocky outcrops, where they use the boulders for hiding holes. The adorable animals live in colonies and mostly feed on grass. They often sit motionless on top of rocks, sunning themselves (they look like stuffed toys until they suddenly hop away).Their fur is very thick and soft – an adaptation to the extreme temperature swings of the Altiplano (freezing nights, intense sun during the day). Vizcachas on Isla Incahuasi and the rest of the Altiplano never drink. They get 100% of their hydration from the moisture inside the giant cacti they eat. Finally, Vizcachas are one of the highest regularly sleeping mammals on Earth. On Isla Incahuasi they live and sleep at 3,700 m (12,140 ft) with little oxygen and huge lungs and special hemoglobin that works in thin air.
