The article will talk about one amazing animal - a small deer. This genus was first described in 1850 by naturalist John Edward Gray.
The name of small exotic deer is pudu, which means "people of southern Chile". They have another name - Chilean mountain goats. This is due to the fact that these animals live on the slopes of the greatest Andes.
Before we talk about pudu, let's have a brief introduction to deer.
General information about deer
These animals are quite widespread on almost all continents. Only in the Arctic they are not. They live in forests, tundras, forest-steppes and steppes. The coloring of the deer perfectly hides it from enemies, and its natural caution, excellent eyesight and keen sense of smell allow you to hide in the thickets long before the approach of a person.
Deer varieties differ in habitat, size, coat color and antler shape. The deer family includes 3 subfamilies, consisting of 51 species and 19 genera.
The following are known among deer: the largest red deer, a rare white species (lives in Siberia), an American species (white-tailed), Siberian deer (caribou), etc. Among all these varieties there is also an unusual pudu deer.
Description of the pudu deer
If you see this animal for the first time, it is not clear that it is a deer. Everyone is used to the fact that they are tall, stately and important. These animals are associated with greatness, nobility and speed. And the pudu deer is completely different from its counterparts - it is very small and, accordingly, does not run fast. Therefore, it is more often caught as prey than other species.
The length of the pudu is up to 93 centimeters, the height is about 35 cm, and the body weight does not exceed 11 kilograms. The body is squat, the neck and head are short. Their appearance is more reminiscent of mazams (mammals of the deer family living in the forests of South and Central America) than deer. The back of the pudu is arched, rounded ears are short, covered with fur. Small horns grow only up to 10 centimeters, and, in addition, they are unbranched. Among the hairs of the tuft on the forehead, they are almost invisible. The deer's coat is thick, darkish gray-brown or reddish-brown with soft light spots. Reddish belly.
Varieties
In the genus of the pudu deer, 2 species are distinguished:
- Northern pudu, whose way of life is completely unexplored, live in Ecuador (here first seen in mountainous areas), Northern Peru and Colombia.
- Southern pudú, found in Chile and Western Argentina.
Outwardly, these species are almost indistinguishable. It should only be noted that the northern varieties of pudu do not have tails.
Habitats
Once this little deer lived in many countries of Latin America. Beyond the life of the exoticthe animal could be observed in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the Andes. Today it is a very rare deer, in connection with which it was included in the lists of the International Red Book.
Mostly pudu deer now live in South America - on the island of Chilos and in Chile. They are distributed in small quantities in southern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, in the western parts of Argentina.
A large number of animals from many areas of their former habitat have disappeared due to the active hunting of people and the loss of their habitats.
About population
Animals are on the verge of extinction.
Southern pudu are easier to adapt to living in captivity compared to the northern ones, but earlier the latter, however, in small populations, were kept in zoos. According to 2010 data, about 100 southern individuals at that time lived in European and American zoos.
Today these animals are protected in various national parks. Pudu deer may completely disappear due to active deforestation by people of tropical forests - animal habitats. Roads and highways are being built in their place, where pudu often fall under the wheels of cars. Their catch is also observed for keeping at home and for illegal sale. Many factors can be detrimental to very vulnerable deer.
Lifestyle
Pudu habitats are dense thickets of forests at altitudes reaching 4,000 meters. They feed mainly on shrubs, herbs, seeds, leaves and fruits. They can live alone, familyin pairs and groups.
In the daytime, the animals hide in the thickets of bushes, and at nightfall they come out of their hiding places to feed. More often they feed on the seashore, where there is fucus algae, which is the basis of their diet. In summer, pudu deer are cautious, and in winter, during a period of food shortage, they can also approach people's dwellings. There, these little animals become victims of dogs.
The life of a little deer is not very long - only about ten years.
In conclusion - about reproduction
The female's pregnancy continues for seven months, after which only one baby is born. It happens at the beginning of summer.
A pudu cub at birth has a height of 15 centimeters. On its back there are three rows of white spots that run from the shoulders to the very tail. Pudu babies grow very quickly, and by the age of three months they reach their parents in size. Puberty occurs 12 months after birth.
