A recent birth at the Queens Zoo in New York City belongs to the mother of the smallest species of deer in the world; a pudu. This species of deer is typically native to South America, but is on display in a North American Zoo.
The tiny little deer was born on May 12th and only weighed one pound. Even more interesting, the little deer was just 6 inches tall and 6 inches long, smaller than most of your average baby puppies.
It's currently in nursing as it gets to be a little older, but when it finally reaches a certain point, it will be fed "a diet of fresh leaves, grain, kale, carrots and hay," as noted by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
When fully grown, the pudu deer won't get that much bigger; an average adult pudu deer measures anywhere from 12 to 14 inches at the shoulder. So essentially, these cute things stay cute their entire lives. When they grow up, they do however lose their little white spots on their back and end up with a much more uniform fur color.
Not only do they look cute, but the exhibit cute behaviors. They also have their own self-defense against predators:
"Pudu exhibit extraordinary behaviors," The Wildlife Conservation Society notes. "They bark when they sense danger and when chased, they run in a zig-zag pattern to escape predators including owls, foxes, pumas, and small cats."
These pudu deer are a part of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Species Survival Program (SSP), which is the reason that they're present at Queens Zoo and being taken care of by wildlife professionals.
To check him out, you'll have to take a trip to New York!
Source: Wildlife Conservation Society via CNN
Plants & Animals
JUN 10, 2015