Wildlife Watch

Many animal species called Cerro Pachón home long before Rubin Observatory arrived on the scene, and protecting these animals is just one of the ways we’re incorporating sustainability into this big scientific project. We might focus primarily on space, but we also care about protecting Earth as a home for animals…and not just the cute ones!

Cerro Pachón and the mountains around it are home to many species of animals that have adapted to dry habitats at high elevations. Although there aren’t many large mammals, foxes are relatively common, and there are lots of small rodents like mice or viscachas. Birds are also plentiful, from small songbirds to huge Andean condors that soar above the peaks.

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), the organization that operates Rubin Observatory along with other astronomical centers, is committed to protecting wildlife at all its sites. So before construction activities started on Cerro Pachón, AURA partnered with Universidad de La Serena on a plan to monitor and protect animals living near the Rubin construction site. First, biologists conducted a baseline study of the area, documenting the animal species, the number of individuals observed, and their behaviors during the day and at night. Then they came up with a monitoring plan that would help determine whether Rubin’s increasing construction activities were negatively impacting the animals. If so, the biologists could suggest strategies to better protect them. While the original monitoring plan ran from 2014 to 2017, AURA decided to re-launch the campaign in 2021 and continues supporting it today.

The annual monitoring activities are conducted by researchers from Laboratorio de Ecofisiología Animal del Departamento Biología at Universidad de La Serena who install cameras at various locations near Rubin Observatory. For several days each year these cameras record animal species, their behavior, and their hours of activity. Manual observation of birds is part of the study too—the biologists use binoculars to identify individual birds. They also listen for calls and record the locations of nests. After analyzing the data from these observations, the research team reports their findings and recommendations. The report for 2023 was released in February, and it documents sightings of seven bird species (12 individuals), and two species of reptile (including 15 individuals of the black-green lizard, a species identified by the study as especially important to the area’s ecological health). As for mammals, one species of fox and several types of mice were identified, including 9 individual yellow-rumped leaf-eared mice, a species of mouse that happens to hold the official record for the highest-altitude-dwelling mouse!

The 2023 report concluded that the populations of animals in the monitoring area are generally stable, and there haven’t been major changes in the number of species or individuals recorded during the construction period. The report did note that high winds sometimes blow construction materials around the area, and emphasized the importance of a thorough cleanup (which was already planned) once the observatory is complete. We’re proud to share the observatory site with so many unique and important animals, and we’ll continue to respect their home!

Some specific species found near Rubin Observatory include:

Liolaemus nigroviridis, (black-green lizard)

Thylamys elegans (Chilean mouse opossum)

Abrothrix andina (Andean Altiplano mouse)

Phyllotis xanthopygus (yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse)

Lycalopex culpaeus (Culpeo fox)

Lagidium viscacia (viscacha)