Ozotoceros bezoarticus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Cervidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-443 : 437

39.

Pampas Deer

Ozotoceros bezoarticus

French: Cerf des pampas / German: Pampashirsch / Spanish: Ciervo de la pampa

Taxonomy. Cervus bezoarcticus Linnaeus, 1758 ,

Pernanbuco ( Brazil).

The scientific name of the species originates from bezoar stone, a calcareous mass allegedly found in the stomachs of this deer. Five subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

O.b.bezoarcticusLinnaeus,1758—CBrazil(SofAmazonia).

O.b.arerunguaensisGonzalezetal.,2002—WUruguay.

O.b.celerCabrera,1943—ArgentinePampas(SanLuis&BuenosAiresprovinces).

O.b.leucogasterGoldfuss,1817—Bolivia,WBrazil,Paraguay,NArgentineChaco(SantaFe&Corrientesprovinces).

O. b. uruguayensis Gonzalez et al., 2002 — E Uruguay.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 90-120 cm (males) and 85-90 cm (females), tail 10-14 cm, shoulder height 65-70 cm (males) and 60-65 cm (females); weight of males 24-34 kg (up to 40 kg) and of females 22-29 kg. Bucks are on average 15-20% heavier than females. Medium-sized, lightly built deer. The main color of the coat goes from pale reddish-brown or tawny-brown in the north to bay in the south. Whitish areas around the eyes, lips, throat, chest, and tarsal tuft. Females have two small white spots on the forehead. Fawns are spotted for three months. Preorbital, nasal, tarsal, and rear interdigital glands are always present. Metatarsal glands are sometimes lacking. Permanent dentition is 32 teeth. Antlers of adults are about 30 cm long and typically have three tines, a well-developed brow tine, and a terminal fork. Pedicles begin to grow at five months of age; the first antlers are buttons or short spikes. Antler cycles are seasonal and locally synchronized, but with variable timing according to latitude. Antler casting occurs in autumn ( Brazil) or in winter ( Argentina and Uruguay). Regrowth starts immediately and lasts about 100 days. Velvet shedding peaks in winter or spring. At six years of age antlers attain their full size.

Habitat. It prefers grassland (pampas, savanna, also seasonally flooded grassland). In Argentina it is able to tolerate winter temperatures as low as —15°C and a summer shade temperature of 42°C.

Food and Feeding. As a mixed feeder,it is able to eat grass but often selects forbs and can browse shrubs.

Breeding. Does generally attain puberty at around 14 months of age. Bucks reach sexual maturity at about twelve months but normally begin to reproduce later. Conceptions may occur year-round, but the mating season has often one main peak in summer-early autumn. Does have an estrous cycle of 21 days. Bucks may follow receptive does with long pursuits and approach them in a low stretch posture, uttering soft buzzing sounds, possibly an imitation ofthe distress call of the fawn. The mean length of gestation is around 220 days. Does give birth to one fawn, weighing on average 2 kg. Fawns stand up and start to suckle 30-60 minutes after birth. By 2-3 weeks of age they begin to run and play. At four weeks they start to graze and by eight weeks they feed with their mother and other deer. Jaguars (Panthera onca), Pumas (Puma concolor), and Maned Wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) are the main predators; Pampas Foxes (Pseudalopex gymnocercus) and Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) may kill fawns.

Activity patterns. It is active all day, with recurrent feeding and resting bouts.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Pampas Deer are mostly sedentary, with home ranges that can vary from 5 km? to 170 km?. They are weakly social, forming small fluid groups. Even when the species was abundant, groups rarely exceeded five or six individuals. Males mix with females all year, moving from one family group to another. Aggregations of over 50 animals are temporary associations on feeding grounds.

Status and Conservation. CITES Annex I. Classified as Near Threatened on The [UCN Red List and decreasing. Habitat destruction and habitat conversion to cropland and cattle ranching continue to be significant threats. Poaching and predation by dogs contribute to its decline. The main populations are in Brazil, in Pantanal with 20,000-40,000 individuals and in Cerrado with 2000 animals; small populations have been recently rediscovered in the Brazilian states of Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Around 1100 deer live in Uruguay (El Tapado in the north-west with 800 individuals and Los Ajos in the southeast with 300 deer). In Argentina, where originally Pampas Deer had half a million square kilometers of available grassland, now only four small populationssurvive, for a total of 1200-1400 individuals. A small population may still exist in northern Bolivia and small pockets still live in the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, in north-eastern Bolivia.

Bibliography. Gonzalez, Alvarez & Maldonado (2002), Gonzalez, Cosse et al. (2010), Gonzalez, Maldonado et al. (1998), Jackson (1986, 1987), Jackson & Langguth (1987), Redford (1987), Rodrigues & Monteiro Filho (2000), Tomas (1995), Ungerfeld, Bielli et al. (2008), Ungerfeld, Gonzélez-Pensado et al. (2008), Ungerfeld, Gonzélez-Sierra & Bielli (2008), Vila et al. (2008).

Figures

36. White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), 37. Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus), 38. Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), 39. Pampas Deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), 41. South Andean Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), 42. Northern Pudu (Pudu mephistophiles), 43. Southern Pudu (Pudu puda)

Subspecies and Distribution. O.b.bezoarcticusLinnaeus,1758—CBrazil(SofAmazonia). O.b.arerunguaensisGonzalezetal.,2002—WUruguay. O.b.celerCabrera,1943—ArgentinePampas(SanLuis&BuenosAiresprovinces). O.b.leucogasterGoldfuss,1817—Bolivia,WBrazil,Paraguay,NArgentineChaco(SantaFe&Corrientesprovinces). O. b. uruguayensis Gonzalez et al., 2002 — E Uruguay .