Darting around and hiding on the forest floor, the Southern Pudu, known as püdü or püdu in Mapudungun (the language of the indigenous Mapuche people), is the world’s second-smallest #deer species. Weighing just 6.4 to 13.4 kg and standing at 35 to 45 cm at the shoulder, these miniature deer are remarkably adapted to their forested environments and communicate with each other through scent. Their short, spiky antlers curve slightly backward, and their thick chestnut-brown coat provides excellent camouflage in the undergrowth.
Despite their small size, Southern Pudus are resilient #ungulates in one of the world’s most biodiverse but increasingly threatened temperate forests in #Argentina and #Chile. However, habitat destruction for eucalyptus and pine monoculture, predation by invasive species, road collisions and disease transmission from farmed animals are pushing populations to the brink. Help them by raising awareness, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
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