Monte Desert not only common, but tall cacti even appear in the more hospitable areas of the desert. The fauna of the area is also very similar to that of the Patagonian Desert, only in greater diversity and number due to the Monte's more hospitable conditions. Small mammals like mice abound and larger animals like the guanaco and burrowing owl can be found as well. Monte Desert The Monte Desert is a South American ecoregion, lying entirely within Argentina and covering approximately the submontane areas of Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, San Luis and Mendoza Provinces, plus the western half of La
Patagonian toothfish Patagonian toothfish The Patagonian toothfish, Dissostichus eleginoides, is a species of cod icefish found in cold waters () between depths of in the southern Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and Southern Ocean on seamounts and continental shelves around most sub-Antarctic islands. A close relative, the Antarctic toothfish, (Dissostichus mawsoni) is found farther south around the edges of the Antarctic shelf; and a Marine Stewardship Council-certified fishery is active in the Ross Sea. The average weight of a commercially caught Patagonian toothfish is , depending on the fishery, with large adults occasionally exceeding . They are thought to live up to