Born on May 12 at Queens Zoo in New York, the tiny male southern pudu was only about 15 centimeters (6 inches) tall and weighed 0.45 kilograms (1 pound) at birth.
The small white spots along his back are distinctive to fawns and will fade as he grows older, said the Wildlife Conservation Society in a press release. He’s still nursing from his mother but will move onto eating leaves, kale, grains and hay.
The pudu is the world’s smallest species of deer. There are two subspecies of pudu native to South America: the northern pudu (Pudu mephistophiles) in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and the southern pudu (Pudu puda) in Chile and Argentina. The pudu can grow up to 44 centimeters (17 inches) tall and 85 centimeters (33 inches) long.
Pudu are generally unsociable animals, preferring to roam as individuals and only meeting to mate. When frightened, they bark, and when angered, they shiver.
If you’re now crazy for pudu, there’s more where this handsome little guy came from as he’s now the third pudu to be on display at Queens Zoo.
[H/T ABC News]
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