Pudu mephistophiles, De Winton, 1896

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Cervidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-443 : 438

42.

Northern Pudu

Pudu mephistophiles

French: Poudou de I'Equateur / German: Nordpudu / Spanish: Pudu chico

Taxonomy. Pudua mephistophiles De Winton, 1896 ,

Papallacta, Napo-Pastaza (Ecuador).

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. It ranges through temperate zone forests and paramos from the Cordillera Central in C Colombia through the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador to the eastern Andean cloud forests in Peru, southward to Junin department. The exact range is unknown and there are obvious distributional gaps. One major natural gap is the dry forest south of the Huancabamba depression, which separates the northern population from the main Peruvian population.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 75 cm, tail 3 cm, shoulder height 25-38 cm; weight 5-6 kg. Very small-sized deer, the smallest species of the family. The legs are short, the rostrum and the neck are shortened; the ears are rounded. The rhinarium is bulbous. The tail is rudimentary. Males and females are of similar size. The coatis rufous with dark brown on the back. The face is black; the legs are dark brown. Fawns are unspotted. Preorbital glands are very small or absent. Tarsal and metatarsal glands are lacking. There are small interdigital glands. Permanent dentition of 32-34 teeth. Antlers of adults are spikes about 6 cm long (up to 9 cm). Pedicles begin to grow at about three months. Hooves are narrow and pointed.

Habitat. It mainly occurs in mountain forests and high elevation grasslands, from 1700 m to 4500 m above sea level. Throughoutits range, the Northern Pudu uses several habitat types, especially high altitude montane forests and the humid paramo grasslands above the tree-line. Montane forests occupied are humid rainforests such as elfin and cloud forests, frequently close to paramo grasslands, which are primarily used by populations in the northern part of the range. The main altitude used by Northern Pudus is 2000-4000 m, with records as high as 4500 m in Ecuador. Paramo can be characterized as a humid grassland mixed with short, flowering vegetation such as terrestrial bromeliads, mosses, lichens, tree-ferns, and various other bushes. Throughout its distribution, this species endures low temperatures, with frequent night-time frost in the higher altitudes. Precipitation is high in all habitat types used, and includes rain, snow, and fog.

Food and Feeding. The Northern Pudu is assumed to be a browser feeding mainly on leaves and fruits. According to the observations of local people in Peru,it climbs trees to forage on fruit. The species is known to encroach on agriculturalfields to feed on crops in areas of higher human habitation.

Breeding. It is not known at what age females attain puberty. Since the climate and the environment are less seasonal than in the southern Andes, reproduction is probably less seasonal. There are probably two main peaks of rutting activity, one in August— September and one in March-April. After a gestation of about seven months, a single fawn is born, weighing about 0-4 kg. Females experience a postpartum estrus. Fawns are precocious and at six months of age reach adult size.

Activity patterns. It is crepuscular and nocturnal, but given the lack of good observational data on this species, it may have more complicated patterns of foraging and resting throughout the day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. It is a saltatorial, duiker-like deer, able to flee zig-zagging in dense cover. Pudus are mostly solitary but are sometimes seen in pairs. They are probably territorial, but no long term studies are available.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List and decreasing. Overhunting from the 1950s through the early 1980s and habitat loss have fragmented the distribution range and decreased the population size. The expansion of human settlements, with consequent habitat conversion and persecution by dogs are important current threats.

Bibliography. Barrio & Tirira (2008), Czernay (1987), Escamilo et al. (2010), Hershkovitz (1982).

Figures

36. White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), 37. Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus), 38. Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), 39. Pampas Deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), 41. South Andean Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), 42. Northern Pudu (Pudu mephistophiles), 43. Southern Pudu (Pudu puda)

Distribution. It ranges through temperate zone forests and paramos from the Cordillera Central in C Colombia through the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador to the eastern Andean cloud forests in Peru , southward to Junin department. The exact range is unknown and there are obvious distributional gaps. One major natural gap is the dry forest south of the Huancabamba depression, which separates the northern population from the main Peruvian population.