Chile, Large and Small
By: Miriam S. Forster
What if you went to a forest that had huge trees? Would you find large animals there like bears and moose? Not in Chile! Chile is a country in South America, where the smallest animals find shelter under the tallest trees.
Monkey puzzle trees can grow up to 40 meters, or 130 feet, tall in the wild. That's taller than a twelve story apartment! The monkey puzzle is an evergreen, like a pine tree. However, unlike a pine tree, the monkey puzzle doesn't have needles. It has tight, spiny leaves that look like fish scales covering its branches.
The largest tree in South America is the alerce, or Patagonian cypress. They have trunks the size of cars and can stretch over 150 feet tall. They also live a long time. Some are 3,000 years old!
The pudu is the world's tiniest deer. The pudu is about two feet tall, the size of a small dog. Baby pudu are the size of kittens! Pudu are shy, gentle creatures. They come out in the evening and early mornings to feed on plants.
The kodkod is the smallest cat in Chile. In fact, the kodkod is smaller than a house cat. And like a house cat, the kodkod eats mainly small animals: mice, birds, and insects. The kodkod is a good climber, but it likes to hunt on the ground. It has a spotted body and a striped tail.
Some small animals like to live in bushes or low trees. Not the pudu and the kodkod! They like it here in Chile, the land of large and small.
Illustration Copyright © 2009 Eileen Morris and Clipart Creations
Copyright © 2009 by Miriam S. Forster