By Nicole Prom of University of Minnesota
Common name: Chilean huemul
Scientific name: Hippocamelus bisulcus
The huemul is the national animal of Chile, an icon of the country featured on their coat of arms and seen throughout many displays, including in the plaza of our hometown, Cochrane. Although it can be seen commonly in displays throughout the country, it is a rare opportunity to get to see a huemul in person with their recent decrease in population sizes. Our group was lucky enough to see this endangered species during our research expedition in the Pascua River region. Here is some information that we learned about them while we were there. The huemul is a medium sized, stocky deer that is near 1 meter tall and weighs around 80 kilograms. Other physical characteristics include large white ears, a white tail, and a dark face mask and antlers for males.
Huemul habitats are found in the Andes Mountains in Southern Chile from sea level up to 1700 meters. They prefer to inhabit Nothofagus (Lenga and Ñirre) forests and forest edges along with grasslands, shrublands, and steppe habitats due to the variety of food available and the lower risk of predation in these places. The largest and least fragmented populations are found in coastal Chile, in the ice fields. This species prefers to live in small groups with five individuals or fewer, most commonly seen with only two to three individuals. It is also common to see a female huemul (hembra) solitary with a juvenile (cria), or to see a solitary male (macho).
The huemul’s reproductive season is March through May, the fall season in Chile. The females have a gestation period of six to eight months and give birth to a single fawn in November or December. This low birth rate makes it difficult for the declining population numbers to increase quickly. The fawns are near adult size after a year and reach full maturation when they are two years old. After the reproductive season, the males lose their antlers for the winter and grow them back in the spring. During winter, both the male and female huemul experience differences in their coats with their hair becoming two to four centimeters longer. This amplifies their ability to keep warm in the harsh weather since the hair fibers are hollow, insulative, and waterproof.
This species has a certain majestic quality if you have the chance to see it in person, however as mentioned before, not many Chileans are lucky enough to see the icon of their country in person. Under the IUCN classifications, this species is endangered with a current population of only 1,500 individuals, compared to the 20,000 that used to be present. The main threats to huemul at this moment are habitat loss, fragmentation, predation, and human hunting. There was also a large decline in population sizes upon the creation of Patagonia National Park once the livestock were removed and the puma returned to preying on huemul, who were not ready for the large puma population sizes and were not used to this predation pressure in recent years.
I was able to see how important this species was to the public when we were driving along the Carretera Austral on our way to Cochrane and multiple cars were stopped along the road with cameras out, observing a huemul on a rocky slope. I feel privileged that I was able to encounter multiple huemul during my time in Patagonia and those experiences left me feeling hopeful that more Chilean citizens will get to see them in the future once their populations have increased with the help of projects and laws that will help keep this species safe.