Muzzle morphology and food consumption by pudu (Pudu puda Molina 1782) in south-central Chile

Abstract

The southern pudu (Pudu puda) is one of the smallest living deer of the world. It inhabits the temperate rainforest of Chile and Argentina, where it is considered vulnerable due to decreasing populations. To improve the existing information concerning its feeding ecology, we performed morphometric measurements on skulls and jaws (n = 22), and observed feeding behavior on individual deer (n = 14). The pudu presented an oral morphology adapted to select specific parts of plants, and a brachyodont molar type, which is consistent with the selective browsing style and consumption of primarily dicotyledonous plants. This information can be used to infer habitat relationships and needs of the pudu during the growth season.

El pudú del sur (Pudu puda) en uno de los ciervos más pequeños del mundo y habita el bosque templado lluvioso de Chile y Argentina. Es considerado vulnerable debido a una continua reducción de sus poblaciones. Con el fin de añadir información concerniente a su ecología y uso de hábitat, se realizaron mediciones morfométricas en cráneos y mandíbulas (n=22), además de observaciones del comportamiento de alimentación en individuos de esta especie (n=14). El pudú presentó una morfología bucal adaptada para seleccionar partes específicas de la vegetación que consumen y molares braquiodontos, siendo coherente con el estilo de ramoneador selectivo y el consumo, principalmente, de dicotiledóneas.

Keywords:

• browser
• brachyodont
• feeding style
• Pudu puda

Acknowledgments

We thank Claudio Gutiérrez and David Shackleton for comments on early drafts. Thanks are due to Angelo Espinoza, Cecilia Muñoz, Pedro Aburto, Chile Natural History Museum, Argentina National Parks Administration, primary school La Aguada, Institutes of Veterinary Pharmacology and Morphophysiology, and Environmental and Evolutionary Sciences of University Austral of Chile for allowing access to skulls and jaw collections. Also to Anne Zillikens and two anonymous reviewers for improving the manuscript.

ORCID

Paulo Corti http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8253-2195

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT) grant [1100555] to M. Pino. P. Corti received funding by FONDECYT grant [3110187] and Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica grant [7912010016].