Pampas deer facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Pampas deer

Male Pampas deer in Serra da Canastra National Park.

Female Pampas deer nursing fawn in the Pantanal, Brazil.
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Ozotoceros
Species:	bezoarticus

Synonyms
Cervus bezoarticus Linnaeus, 1758

The Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) is a type of deer. It lives in the grassy plains of South America in low areas. People in Portugal call it veado-campeiro. In Spanish, it is known as venado or gama. This deer is the only species in its group, called Ozotoceros.

Pampas deer live in places with water and hills. These areas often have dry winters. The grass there is tall enough to hide a standing deer. Many Pampas deer live in the Pantanal wetlands. This area has yearly floods. People are working to protect the deer there. Sadly, human activities have changed much of the deer's natural home.

Pampas deer can live up to 12 years in the wild. They live even longer if they are in zoos. But their numbers are dropping. This is because of too much hunting and losing their homes. Many people worry about this. A healthy deer population means the grasslands are healthy too. Healthy grasslands are home to many other animals. Some of these animals are also in danger. Many birds from North America fly south to these areas. If the Pampas deer lose their home, these bird species might also disappear. There are about 80,000 Pampas deer left. Most of them live in Brazil.

Pampas Deer History and Family Tree
Pampas Deer Appearance
Pampas Deer Behavior and Life
- What Pampas Deer Eat
- Pampas Deer Reproduction and Calves
Threats to Pampas Deer
Pampas Deer and Humans
Images for kids
See also

Pampas Deer History and Family Tree

Fossils show that deer from North America traveled to South America. This happened about 2.5 million years ago. It was part of the Great American Interchange. This was when a land bridge, the Isthmus of Panama, formed. Deer quickly changed into many different species. Only a few of these species are still alive today.

Most old deer fossils are gone. This is because of large glaciers and acidic soil. So, we don't know what early New World deer looked like. The fossils we have show deer that look much like today's Pampas deer. The Pampas deer developed in open plains. Its direct ancestor first appeared during the Pleistocene Ice Age.

Pampas deer might have developed without many predators. When they feel scared, they stomp their feet. They also trot in a special way and make a whistling sound. They also leave behind a strong smell. Pampas deer have similar genes to the marsh deer. Both species have two chromosomes that are joined together.

There are five types, or subspecies, of Pampas deer:

O. b. bezoarticus - Found in eastern and central Brazil, south of the Amazon River, and into Uruguay.
O. b. arerunguaensis - Lives in northwestern Uruguay.
O. b. celer - Found in southern Argentina.
O. b. leucogaster - Lives in southwestern Brazil, southeastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.
O. b. uruguayensis - Found in eastern Uruguay.

Pampas deer have a lot of genetic variety. This means they had very large numbers in the past.

Pampas Deer Appearance

Pampas deer have tan fur. Their bellies and the insides of their legs are lighter. Their fur color does not change with the seasons. They have white spots above their lips. They also have white patches on their throats.

Female Pampas deer are about 60–65 cm (24–26 in) tall at the shoulder. Males are a bit taller, about 65–70 cm (26–28 in). Their tails are short and bushy. They are about 10 to 15 cm long. When they run, they lift their tail. This shows a white patch, just like white-tailed deer.

Adult males usually weigh 24–34 kg (53–75 lb). Some have been found to weigh up to 40 kg (88 lb). Females usually weigh 22–29 kg (49–64 lb). They are a small type of deer. Males and females look quite similar.

Males have small, light antlers with three points. They shed their antlers every year in August or September. New antlers grow back by December. The lower front part of the antler is not split. But the upper part is. Females have swirls of hair that look like tiny antler bumps. Male deer have a strong smell. It comes from glands on their back hooves. This smell can be noticed from up to 1.5 km away.

Pampas Deer Behavior and Life

Pampas deer running in Serra da Canastra National Park.

In Argentina, Pampas deer mate from December to February. In Uruguay, they mate from February to April. The male deer starts courtship by stretching low. He makes a soft buzzing sound. He may nuzzle the female and flick his tongue at her. He avoids looking directly at her. He stays close to her and might follow her for a long time. Sometimes the female lies down to show she is interested.

Pampas deer do not protect a specific area or their mates. But they do show who is in charge. They show dominance by holding their heads up. They try to keep their side facing forward. They also move slowly and carefully. When male deer challenge each other, they rub their antlers on plants. They also scrape them on the ground. They rub scent glands on their heads and faces onto plants. They usually don't fight seriously. They just spar with each other. They also commonly bite. The smaller male usually starts sparring by touching noses with the larger one.

Groups of Pampas deer are not separated by sex. Males will move between different groups. There are usually only 2-6 deer in a group. But many more can gather in places with good food. They do not form pairs that stay together. They also do not have one male with many females.

When they feel they might be in danger, they hide low in plants. Then they jump away about 100–200 meters. They often look back at what scared them. They jump in long, flat leaps. They are not thought to be good at running long distances. If a deer is alone, it might just quietly slip away. Females with a baby deer might pretend to limp to distract a predator. They also do this if they are unsure about something, like if a human appears.

Pampas deer often stand on their back legs. They do this to reach food or to see over things. They do not move around much. They don't have seasonal or daily movements. They usually eat regularly during the day. But sometimes they are active at night. Pampas deer are very curious. They like to explore. This is cute to watch. But it also makes them easy targets for poachers. They don't run away when they see humans.

What Pampas Deer Eat

Pampas deer eat new green plants, shrubs, and herbs. Most of the plants they eat grow in wet soil. Scientists studied their poop to see if they compete with cattle for food. They found that deer and cattle eat the same plants. But they eat them in different amounts. Pampas deer eat less grass. They eat more forbs. Forbs are flowering plants with soft stems. They also eat more browse. Browse means shoots, leaves, and twigs.

During the rainy season, new grasses make up 20% of their diet. They move to find food, especially flowering plants. When cattle are present, more new grass sprouts. Pampas deer like this new grass. This suggests that deer do not compete with cattle for food. However, other studies show that Pampas deer avoid areas with cattle. When cattle are not around, deer have much larger home areas.

Pampas Deer Reproduction and Calves

Baby Pampas deer, called fawns, can be seen at any time of year. But most are born in September and November. Females leave their group to give birth. They keep the fawn hidden. After giving birth, the female is ready to mate again. This usually happens within 48 hours.

Fawns are small and spotted. They lose their spots when they are about 2 months old. Usually, only one fawn is born. It weighs about 2.2 kg. The mother carries the baby for over 7 months. At 6 weeks old, fawns can eat solid food. They also start to follow their mother. They stay with their mothers for at least a year. They also become old enough to have their own babies at about one year old.

Threats to Pampas Deer

Pampas deer in Rocha Department, Uruguay (2015)

The Pampas deer in southern Argentina were once very common. Now, they are considered a threatened species by the IUCN. The IUCN says the subspecies O. b. celer in southern Argentina is endangered. This type of deer often gets gut parasites and foot-and-mouth disease.

Their numbers have dropped for several reasons. Hunting and poaching are part of the problem. But also, their habitat is lost to farms. This makes them more likely to get diseases from farm animals. They also face competition from other animals brought into the area. And they have been hunted too much in general. Less than 1% of their natural home from 1900 is left today.

Deer in Argentina and Uruguay have fewer natural predators. They used to be hunted by cougars and many jaguars. Deer in Brazil still have these big cats to fear. In some areas, low deer numbers are due to poaching. For example, in the 1970s, poachers killed 10 out of 16 deer in one group. The rest were lost due to human activity.

It has been hard for scientists to track and help the deer. This is because of a lack of money and tools. But donations from groups and universities in the United States have helped a lot. In 1975, there were fewer than 100 of the O. b. celer subspecies. By 1980, there were about 400. Their numbers keep growing, but not very fast. Later, new groups of deer were found, which also helped the numbers seem higher.

Local people sometimes blame deer for diseases in their farm animals. They especially blame them for Brucellosis in cattle. At one point, the government in Uruguay planned to kill some Pampas deer. But research showed that Pampas deer rarely carry the disease. Only then did the government let scientists check the deer's health. With money from the Disney Conservation Fund, they proved the deer do not spread disease to livestock.

It is against the law to trade Pampas deer for money. They are protected by law in Argentina. There are special private and government areas set aside for them. In some places, strict rules against poaching have quickly helped deer numbers grow. Teaching the public about the deer also helps. Watching road building projects also protects them. Pampas deer breed well when kept by humans. Sometimes, they are released back into the wild.

In 2006, scientists put GPS trackers on 19 Pampas deer. Eight of these trackers did not work. The deer were watched for 4–18 days. This helped researchers learn about their movements. This information helps them protect the deer better.

Pampas Deer and Humans

Millions of Pampas deer have been hunted. Between 1860 and 1870, two million Pampas deer skins were sent to Europe. This was just from the port of Buenos Aires. Years later, roads were built through the plains. Cars made it even easier for poachers to reach the deer. They were also killed for food, medicine, and for fun. As of 2003, fewer than 2,000 Pampas deer remain in Argentina and Uruguay.

Both Argentina and Uruguay have called the Pampas deer "natural monuments." But hunting still happens, though much less often now. The huge drop in Pampas deer numbers is like what happened to the bison in North America. Like bison, Pampas deer were important to Native Americans in Uruguay and Argentina. They used them for food, hides, and medicine. Native Americans first helped sell Pampas deer skins. Even then, the deer population stayed strong. This changed after European settlers defeated the Native Americans. The settlers brought large farms, uncontrolled hunting, and new diseases to the deer. This happened when they brought new farm animals and wild animals.

Some landowners have made parts of their land a safe place for deer. They also raise cattle instead of sheep. Sheep eat much more of the land and are a bigger threat to the deer. Owners who choose cattle do it to help the deer. They make more money from raising sheep than cattle. People who work to protect animals encourage this. They share research that shows more food is available for deer and cattle during dry times on ranches with cattle and deer. This is better than on ranches with cattle and sheep.