Mammals · Artiodactyla · Cervidae
Patagonian Huemul
Hippocamelus bisulcus
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The huemul is a stocky, short-legged deer of the Patagonian Andes, adapted to steep and snowy terrain. The males have short, forked antlers. It once occupied the whole cordillera from central Chile to Tierra del Fuego, and today survives in less than half that area, in highly fragmented populations. Livestock, feral dogs, diseases carried by cattle and the loss of native forest have cornered it. It appears on the national coat of arms of Chile alongside the condor.
Weight
40 kg – 100 kg
Size
1.4 m – 1.8 m
Lifespan
14 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Estimated population
Between 1,000 and 1,500 individuals
Fun facts
- GeneralIt appears on Chile's coat of arms; fewer than 2,000 remain.
- conservaciónIt is one of the most threatened deer in South America, and the wild population today is a small fraction of what it was before livestock and introduced predators arrived.
- It has appeared on the coat of arms of Chile since 1834, supporting the emblem alongside the Andean condor: it is the country's national mammal and at the same time one of its most threatened.
- It has lost more than 99% of its historic population and around 60% of its original range, one of the worst-documented declines in South American wildlife.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Andean-Patagonian forest and mountain scrub
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 6.5 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 1
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocamelus_bisulcus
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 11 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Patagonian Huemul — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Southern Pudu
Pudu puda
Least ConcernChital
Axis axis
Roosevelt Elk
Cervus canadensis
Least ConcernGuanaco
Lama guanicoe
EndangeredSouthern River Otter
Lontra provocax
Austral Parakeet
Enicognathus ferrugineus
How to help
The patagonian huemul is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 10 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about patagonian huemul.
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