Marsh deer are the largest species of deer in South America,
standing about 3.9 feet tall at the rump. Their range has been vastly reduced,
and we will be extremely lucky if we get to see them in the Pantanal.
Marsh deer can swim very quickly, and they generally need
fairly large ponds to sustain their diet of aquatic plants. They can be solitary, or live in groups of up
to 6, with one adult male. They are
preyed upon by jaguars and puma.
They rut (have sex and breed) mainly during the dry
season. During this time, they are
easier to spot because they congregate in higher densities near
freshwater.
Since their predators’ populations have been reduced as
well, the marsh deer are mostly threatened by habitat loss and by the diseases
they can catch from cattle. Initially,
their populations were also vastly reduced by poaching for their antlers, but
that has lessened.
No comments:
Post a Comment