Low Monte

The Argentine Monte is located in north-central Argentine, extending along the eastern foothills of the Andes until it reaches the Patagonian steppe, then extends eastwards to the Pacific Ocean. Here thorn scrub and dry grasslands are common. Several river systems meander through this area and create sparse gallery forests. To the west, the Monte transitions into Southern Andean steppe as elevation increases. To the east of the Rio Colorado, the Monte gradually becomes Pampas. The Monte biome is one of the largest dry forest biome of Argentina. Monte faunal and floral elements are closely related to those of the Chaco biogeographical province (Ringuelet 1961), although some Patagonian elements also occur in the central and southwestern part of the Monte.