Nahuel Huapi Lake (Spanish: Lago Nahuel Huapi) is a lake of the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Rio Negro and Neuquen, in Argentina. It is of Glacial origin is a Moraine-dammed lake.
Nahuel Huapi lake, located within the Nahuel Huapi National Park, has a surface of 529 km², rests 2,510 feet (765m) over the sea level, and has a maximum measured depth (as of 2007) of 1,437 feet (438m).
Its seven branches are named Blest (36 km2), Huemul (21.5 km2), de la Tristeza (18.5 km2), Campanario (7.9 km2) , Machete, del Rincon and Ultima Esperanza. It is connected to other smaller lakes such as Gutierrez, Moreno, Espejo and Correntoso. The deep-blue waters hold a number of islands, most notably Isla Victoria with 31 km².
This breathtaking lake harbors several spices of trout including Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Brook Trout which attract anglers from the world over.
A curios fact about this lake is that despite being nowhere near any ocean and being at high altitude, it is also home for Kelp Gull and the Blue Eyed Cormorant (Phalacrocorax atriceps), otherwise strictly marine birds.
The lake’s crystal clear waters are very susceptible to climate changes and have an average surface temperature of 45ºF (7ºC), this makes it both beautiful and treacherous. Hypothermia is one of the risks bathers must undertake. Kayaking is a popular sport on this and adjacent lakes. The lake is also the starting point of the Limay River.
Nahuelito
At the beginning of the 20th century, and following an old aboriginal legend, the rumor of a giant creature living in the deep waters of the lake took up. The creature is known locally as Nahuelito. Reported sightings of it predate Nessie and The Lost World (Arthur Conan Doyle).
Local aborigines (Mapuche) called the creature el Cuero (leather) for its smooth skin. The neighboring lake Lago Lacar, has also been the site for accounts of another creature, more consistent with a plesiosaur, with aborigines describing it as a sea-cow with teeth all around it.
Members of the Buenos Aires Zoo visited the lake in 1922 trying to corroborate the reports of sightings of the prehistoric animal, but found no evidence to support the theory of such a creature.
See also
- Huemul Project, the Argentine secret research project on nuclear fusion on the Huemul Island.
- Limay River, a major river of the region that is born in the lake.
External links
- World Lake's Database
- Nasa's Satellite View
- Nahuel Huapi Fauna
- Blue Eyed Cormorant
- Bariloche Tourism
- Reevaluation of Cheek Patterns of Juvenal-Plumaged Blue-Eyed and King Shags
- NAHUELITO, PATAGONIAN LAKE MONSTER
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Lakes-of-Argentina
Other pages about Lakes of Argentina
-Buenos Aires/General Carrera Lake -Cami/Fagnano Lake -Cochrane/Pueyrredon Lake -Espejo Lake -Gutierrez Lake -Lacar Lake -Laguna Melincue -Laguna del Diamante -Lake Argentino -Lake Huechulafquen -Lake Viedma -Mar Chiquita (Cordoba) -Nahuel Huapi Lake -O'Higgins/San Martin Lake -Palena/General Vintter Lake -Pellegrini Lake -Puelo Lake -San Roque Lake -Traful Lake
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Nahuel_Huapi_Lake
