guanaco!

That word was the one we said the most in all of our vehicles and otherwise, I think.  Guanaco!  Every time we saw one, it seemed, someone called it out.

We first saw these animals on the way from Puerto Natales to our hotel.  We saw other cars and shuttles had pulled over to take photos and we asked that our driver do the same.  They were behind a wire fence,

and so we thought that they were part of a domesticated herd, being raised for meat or wool or both.

As it turns out, and according to our guide, Sebastian, they are wild, not herded at all.  And kind of dangerous if you anger them.  They big, they can stomp you, they can spit a fungus-infested saliva in your face.  Yeah, we may have been unwittingly foolish to take photos.

Guanacos are relatives of llamas.  Apparently if you see one alone, it is likely a male,

whereas the females gather in herds.  There is a hunting season for them as well, it seems.  As for the taste?

Well, very mild.