This article was originally published on the Fauna & Flora website and has been republished with permission.
18th August 2026
Eight years of painstaking research on the virtually unknown Wolffsohn’s viscacha have helped to shine the spotlight on this super-rare South American rodent and catalyse the conservation action it so urgently needs.
A Wolffsohn’s viscacha enjoying a nap © Gonzalo Pardo
With support from the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) – a partnership between Fauna & Flora, BirdLife International and the Wildlife Conservation Society – a team of early-career conservationists from Argentina has transformed our understanding of a species that scientists knew almost nothing about.
The detailed information that the team has compiled about Wolffsohn’s viscacha and the threats it faces has led to a change in the species’ official conservation status from Data Deficient to Endangered on Argentina’s Red List. At the same time, the data is being used to help reassess its status on the global IUCN Red List.
The team checks equipment in preparation for a Wolffsohn’s viscacha survey © Gonzalo Pardo
Rodents not rabbits
Viscachas bear a superficial resemblance to rabbits, but the two are not closely related. Their physical similarity is the result of a phenomenon called ‘convergent evolution’. This is where unrelated species living in similar habitats, but in completely different parts of the world, end up with shared physical characteristics. In fact, the viscacha’s closest cousin is the chinchilla – another native of South America but one that’s much more familiar due to its popularity as a pet.
Wolffsohn’s viscacha is by far the rarest of the world’s five viscacha species. It is endemic to an area of Patagonia that straddles the border between south-west Argentina and southern Chile, where it is confined to remote rocky outcrops in the mountains.
Watch video footage of a Wolffsohn’s viscacha shared by the project team:
Fact-finding mission
The project that has put this endearing but enigmatic creature on the conservation map was co-led by conservationists Lucas Hormachea and Morgan Pendaries. Their team surveyed 66 sites across the remote mountains of Patagonia, often working in extreme conditions to reach colonies of the elusive species. The team discovered new colonies and documented evidence of local population declines, helping build the first robust picture of the species’ status.
Morgan Pendaries, co-leader of his award-winning team, sets up a camera trap in viscacha territory © Gonzalo Pardo
Morgan Pendaries comments: “We started this work because almost nothing was known about Wolffsohn’s viscacha. People often assume that if a species is classed as Data Deficient it is safe, but that isn’t true. We now know the species occupies a much smaller area than previously thought, faces multiple threats, and has disappeared from places where it was recorded in the past.”
Camera traps deployed near colonies recorded interactions with invasive European hares and feral dogs, while interviews with local communities revealed predation by dogs as an ongoing threat. The team also discovered that the viscacha avoids areas that are popular with mountain climbers, which has led to a shift in part of their range. Researchers are also increasingly concerned about the effects of climate change in the Patagonian Andes.
Morgan Pendaries makes careful notes on the day’s observations © Gonzalo Pardo
The hard work pays off
As well as investigating threats to the species, the project revealed new insights into the behaviour and ecology of Wolffsohn’s viscacha.
“Eight years ago, we thought the species was mostly active during the day,” said Morgan Pendaries. “Now we know it is far more nocturnal than we realised. Every year we uncover something new.”
Gathering this new information about Wolffsohn’s viscacha presented the CLP team with some extreme challenges. To reach remote colonies in southern Patagonia, they spent weeks camping in isolated mountain regions without electricity or internet access. On one expedition, the team had to break through ice blocking a river crossing before their vehicle could continue.
Morgan Pendaries explains: “There were days when we were driving for eight hours through rocky terrain, sleeping in tents for more than two weeks and dealing with freezing temperatures and strong winds. But then you climb onto a mountain ridge and there’s nobody else for miles. You’re looking at one of the wildest landscapes on Earth and watching a species that almost nobody has ever studied.” #
Morgan Pendaries scans the remote, rocky landscape for evidence of viscacha activity © Gonzalo Pardo
Next steps
While Wolffsohn’s viscacha is now listed as Endangered on the Argentina Red List, the nature of local laws means that this does not grant the species automatic protection. More work remains to be done, therefore, to secure the future of the species.
The team reports showing camera trap footage of Wolffsohn’s viscacha to locals has helped engage communities in conservation action © Gonzalo Pardo
Following discussions with authorities, a legislative proposal is being developed to declare Wolffsohn’s viscacha a Natural Heritage Monument in Argentina’s Santa Cruz province. According to Argentina’s National Parks Law, Natural Heritage Monuments are granted legal protection. They currently include taruca (an Andean deer), petrified forests and the jaguar.
The CLP team is working with researchers in Chile to pursue a global IUCN Red List assessment for the species. The team is also sharing lessons and expanding the impact of the project across South America through the recently created ‘Lagidium Working Group’. This brings together conservationists and researchers from Argentina, Chile and Ecuador to share knowledge and help ensure increased protection for all the threatened species of mountain viscacha.
A Wolffsohn’s viscacha rests on a rocky outcrop in the remote high-altitude mountains of Patagonia © Morgan Pendaries
The team received a CLP Future Conservationist Award in 2024, which provided a US$15,000 grant as well as specialised leadership training and ongoing professional development support to help them implement their vital research and conservation efforts.
A thriving network
CLP has just announced its 2026 Future Conservationist Awards, which are supporting 13 vital projects in 12 countries worldwide, led by a total of 54 emerging conservationists working to protect some of the world’s most threatened species. Like Morgan Pendaries and his team, CLP’s latest award-winners will receive ongoing support to enable effective and lasting conservation actions. They will join an ever-growing global network of local conservation champions.
The CLP 2026 Future Conservationist Awards are supported by the Hempel Foundation, March Conservation Fund, Rufford Foundation and Arcadia.