Patagonian weasel Patagonian weasel The Patagonian weasel ("Lyncodon patagonicus") is a small mustelid that is the only member of the genus "Lyncodon". Its geographic range is the Pampas of western Argentina and sections of Chile. An early mention of the animal is in the Journal of Syms Covington, who sailed with Charles Darwin on his epic voyage aboard "HMS Beagle". The Patagonian weasel has a head and body length of , with a tail that is . Its fur is whitish with black and dark brown tones mixed in. It has small ears, short legs and a bushy tail. The animal has
Patagonian Desert known by name are those of the Tehuelche complex. Tehuelches lived as hunter-gatherers and did not practise agriculture in lush valleys found in the desert. In the 18th and 19th centuries the northern part of the desert came under Mapuche influence during a process of Araucanization. Mapuches came to practise horse husbandry in the northern part of the Patagonian steppe. Mapuche tribes came to control trade across the desert and traded with the cities of southern Chile as well as Buenos Aires and the Cuyo Region. From the mid-19th century onwards several Argentine and European settlements, some of them sporadic,