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South Andean Huemul

Hippocamelus bisulcus

French: Guémal / German: Sidlicher Andenhirsch / Spanish: Huemul meridional

Other common names: Chilean Huemul, Southern Huemul, Patagonian Huemul

Taxonomy. Equus bisulcus Molina, 1782,

Colchagua Province, Chile.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. The Andes in S Chile and S Argentina.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 155-165 cm (males), tail 13-15 cm, shoulder height 85-90 cm (males) and 80-85 cm (females); weight 70-75 kg (males) and 60-70 kg (females). Medium-sized deer, very similar to the North Andean Huemul, butslightly larger, darker, and with a more uniform coloration. The coat is rusty brown in summer and grayish-yellow in winter. Bucks have a dark chevron along the face and muzzle. Permanent dentition of 32 teeth. Preorbital, tarsal, and front and rear interdigital glands are present. Antlers of adults are forked and about 25 cm long. The pedicle begins to grow at six months; the first antlers are short spikes. The antler cycle is highly synchronized, with antler casting in early winter (late June-July) and velvet shedding in late spring (November).

Habitat. It lives on bare rocks, alpine meadows, and at elevations from sea level to 3000 m. Forests, especially of southern beech (Nothofagus), may become more important in winter. In the past, it occurred also in completely treeless areas of the Patagonian grasslands.

Food and Feeding. It mainly eats highly digestible plants, forbs, buds, young twigs, and young grass. More than 145 plant species have been identified in six different study areas.

Breeding. Females attain puberty at about 18 months of age. Males are weakly polygynous, with a tending bond mating system. Rutting season peaks in February—-May. The gestation is about 240 days long. Births are mostly in mid-spring to early summer. Females usually give birth on bare cliffs, to a single fawn weighing 3-6 kg. Fawns remain hidden for the first days. At two months of age they consume vegetation frequently. Weaning occurs at four months of age. Pumas (Puma concolor), Culpeos (Pseudalopex culpaeus), and dogs are the main predators.

Activity patterns. It is mainly crepuscular. During midday it spends most of the time ruminating and resting.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. It is particularly adapted to moving on rugged terrain. Home ranges are relatively stable, small (40-80 ha) or medium sized (300-500 ha). The huemuls tend to move down during winter and up during summer, without long-distance migrations. They are weakly gregarious, forming small groups, generally consisting of a pair of adults (male and female) with offspring. Sexual segregation occurs only during the fawning season. In the past feeding aggregations of over 100 animals were observed in winter.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List and decreasing. The total population is probably around 1500 animals, of which 1000 are in Chile and 500 in Argentina. It is the rarest deer in South America. The present range is extremely fragmented, with about one hundred subpopulations, of which 63 are outside protected areas. The northernmost subpopulation (Nevados de Chillan-Laguna del Laja, in the Chilean Andes, 36° S) possibly amounts to less than 50 individuals dispersed in more than 2000 km *. Overhunting, introduction of livestock, competition with exotic deer and habitat conversion to agriculture have produced a dramatic decrease in range and abundance.

Bibliography. Corti, Shaffer et al. (2011), Corti, Wittmer & Festa-Bianchet (2010), Diaz (1993), Frid (1994, 1999, 2001), Gill et al. (2007), Povilitis (1985, 1998), Saucedo & Gill (2004), Vila et al. (2010).