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North Andean Deer Hippocamelus bisulcus
Physical Description The North Andean Deer has a variety of names such as the Peruvian Guemel, the Peruvian Huemel and the Taruca. It is very similar in appearance to the South Andean Deer, the main difference between the speices being the form of the antlers. In the North Andean Deer they branch close to the rose and the skull, while in the South Andean deer they branch from a small stem further along their length. The antlers are between 20 and 30 cm in length. They are cast after the rut each year on October or November and begin to grow again immediately. They are fully grown by the following March. In stature the North Andean Deer is a small, short-legged deer. The coat is rough and thick, and in colour is a greyish brown. There are white markings around the throat. The ears are large and rounded with white insides. The tail is short, and unlike that of the South Andean Deer the underside is brown and not white in colour.
Distribution As its name suggests the North Andean Deer has a distribution somewhat further north of that of the South Andean Deer. It has a wide range across the northern Andes mountain chain, being found in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. It is still relatively common but populations are under threat and declining. This is because of over hunting by man, and also because of competition from domestic livestock that is forcing it out of some of its natural habitats.
Habitat A mountain living deer, the North Andean Deer is found on high and steep mountainsides, being found on the Alpine habitat band between the tree line and the snow line. They occur typically at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 metres.
Reproduction The rut takes place in the late summer and early winter. Males compete fiercely for dominance, which gives them the chance to collect together small harems of females, which they can then mate with. The rut takes place in June and July. After a 240 day long gestation period, mostly a single calf is born, mostly in the following March.
Behaviour The North Andean Deer lives in small groups of about 4 to 9 animals. These groups are mixed sex. During the summer months they travel up the mountainsides to areas of new grazing as the weather improves and the snow melts. With the return of winter they move back down the hillsides and seek shelter in the mountain forests just below the tree line. Predation was seemingly not an important factor for the North Andean Deer. The habitats on which they live are very exposed, which means they are easy to find when hunted by man. However normally few natural predators would venture so high up onto the mountainsides, although some may be predated by the puma, so they were relatively safe from predation.
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