Southern Pudu
Pudu puda
One of the world's smallest deer, a shy, reddish-brown deer of the rainforests of Chile and Argentina.
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About the Southern Pudu
Southern pudus are only 1 to 1.5 feet tall at the shoulder, with coarse red-brown fur, short legs and big round ears. Males grow thin, spiky antlers up to 3.5 inches long. They live in temperate rainforests of southern Chile and southwestern Argentina, where they eat bamboo, ferns, vines, grasses, nuts, fungi and other plants along the forest edge.[1]
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Pudu puda[1]
- Size
- 1 to 1.5 feet tall at the shoulder.[1]
- Lifespan
- About 10 years in the wild.[1]
- Diet
- Herbivore. Bamboo, ferns, vines, grasses, nuts and fungi.[1]
- Habitat
- Temperate rainforest and deciduous forest with thick plants.[1]
- Where it lives
- Southern Chile and southwestern Argentina.[1]
- Group life
- Solitary and territorial.[1]
- Babies
- One spotted fawn, 1 to 2 pounds at birth.[1]
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]
Fun facts
Vocabulary
- antler
- A bony branch that grows on a deer's head and falls off each year.
- fawn
- A baby deer.
- temperate rainforest
- A cool, very wet forest outside the tropics.
- crepuscular
- Most active at dawn and dusk.
- near threatened
- A conservation label meaning a species may soon be at risk of dying out if things don't improve.
See it in person
- Oakland ZooOakland, California · Tropical RainforestSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.
Sources
- [1] Oakland Zoo. “Southern Pudu.” https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/southern-pudu/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
- [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Pudu puda (Southern Pudu).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18848/22164089 (accessed 2026-10-02)
Facts last checked 2026-10-02.
