| Southern pudu | |
|---|---|
_male_Chiloe.jpg) | |
| Male | |
_female_Chiloe.jpg) | |
| Female both at night Chiloé Island, Chile | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Cervidae |
| Subfamily: | Capreolinae |
| Genus: | Pudu |
| Species: | P. puda |
| Binomial name | |
| Pudu puda (Molina, 1782) | |
 | |
| Geographic range ofPudu puda | |
| Synonyms | |
Capra pudaMolina, 1782[3] | |
Thesouthern pudu (Pudu puda,Mapudungunpüdü orpüdu,[4]Spanish:pudú,Spanish pronunciation:[puˈðu]) is a species ofSouth American deer native to theValdivian temperate forests of south-centralChile and adjacentArgentina. It is classified as Near Threatened in theIUCN Red List.[1]
The southern pudu is characterized by being the second smallest deer in the world. It is slightly larger than its sister species, thenorthern pudu, being 35 to 45 cm (14 to 18 in) tall at the shoulder and weighs 6.4 to 13.4 kg (14 to 30 lb). The antlers of the southern pudu grow to be 5.3 to 9 cm (2.1 to 3.5 in) long and tend to curve back, somewhat like amountain goat. Its coat is a dark chestnut-brown, and tends to tuft in the front, covering the antlers.[5]
_male_head_Chiloe.jpg)
_female_head_Chiloe.jpg)
The southern pudu lives in forests, including both mature and disturbed forests, typically with a dense understory, but it does nevertheless prefer open spaces with rich vegetation for feeding.[6] It is found at lower elevations than its sister species, fromsea level to 1,700 m (5,600 ft) elevation. In theChilean Coast Range the pudu is found in primary and secondary broadleaf evergreen and alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) forests, and sometimes inEucalyptus plantations. In the southern Andes of Chile and Argentina it is associated with thickets of bamboo (Chusquea spp.) andNothofagus dombeyi forests.[1]
Foraging by southern pudu is thought to be detrimental for the regeneration of burned forests ofPilgerodendron uviferum.[6]
Analysis of themtDNA control region andcytochrome b of the southern pudu across Chile revealed that different populations have marked genetic differences, with a large number of uniquehaplotypes in each population and few shared haplotypes between populations. This indicates thatgene flow is reduced and most populations are reproductively isolated from each other.[7] The population fromChiloé Island is estimated to have become isolated from continental populations more than 200 thousand years ago and may constitute a separate subspecies.[8] This reproductive isolation makes each population an important evolutionary unit but also increases their vulnerability since a drastic reduction in the number of individuals would decrease genetic diversity without recovery from migrating individuals coming from neighboring areas.[7]
