The taruka occurs as scattered populations with very little contact areas among them, a distribution explained by the specialized habitat it uses. Its distribution can be regarded as almost continuous along the highlands of the Andes from the north of Peru to northeastern Chile, but we should be aware that the habitat type used is isolated in some areas, and human density is high between patches. The taruka occurs in heavily fragmented populations throughout the high Andes of Bolivia—with no records in the southwest—, and in northwest Argentina. The historical distribution was probably the same as the actual one, but populations might have been less fragmented then. Contrary to several publications (Geist 1998; Weber and Gonzalez 2003; Wemmer 1998), the taruka has never occurred in Ecuador. It is unlikely that the taruka has ever crossed north of the Huancabamba depression in north Peru, even during the Pleistocene, when the habitat type it currently uses was lower than present altitude. Then, the high Andes were populated by other deer genera (Hoffstetter 1986; Wheeler et al. 1976). The asseveration of the former presence of taruka in Ecuador was based on doubtful records (Tirira 2001). One specimen in the Buenos Aires museum and another in the Field Museum, Chicago, were marked as coming from Ecuador (Voss 2003), but both have disappeared and could have come from anywhere else, for example Peru or Chile, if they were correctly identified. Another two specimens were deposited in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid (Voss 2003). These were authentic records from Ecuador, as the collector, the collection site and the year were identified (Voss 2003), but both specimens were also lost and there is no way to verify the species.

The Andean Deer ranges through Andean Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. In the Andes, they are found from 12 to 28 degrees South latitude (Geist 1998).

Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )

Historic Range:
Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina

The Andean deer has a stocky, thick, and short-legged body. A characteristic of the teeth morphology is the presence of canines. Males possess antlers that fork once and the front prong is usually shorter. The antlers are also relatively small in size. Antlers in large males measure 22 to 27cm. In males the ears are lengthy and narrow and the tail extends less than 10 percent of length of the body. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced. The shoulder height of males is 74-77cm, while that of females is 69-71cm. Both sexes have speckled yellowish gray brown fur and a tail that is dark brown on top and white on the undersurface (Nowak 1983). Also, male and females have a pale colored throat, a dark band fur coloration over the eyes, and a light band around the muzzle (Geist 1998).

Range mass: 45 (low) kg.

Average mass: 68.6 kg.

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial

The Andean deer lives at high elevations (4,100 to 5,000 meters) on rock outcrops. It is rarely found below elevations of 3,960 meters. Home ranges exceed 2km in length. The deer habitat exhibit large daily temperature ranges and large amounts of seasonal rainfall.

Terrestrial Biomes: mountains

The Andean Deer is a herbivore, and its diet is composed mostly of sedges and grasses found between the rocks on high peaks. These deer also move change elevation according to the time of the year. During the rainy season (December to May), they head for higher elevations in search of food (Whitehead 1972).

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 10.6 years.

Observations: Little is known about the longevity of these animals, but one captive specimen lived 10.6 years (Richard Weigl 2005).

Reproduction is seasonal and rutting peaks in June and July during the driest season. The gestation period is 240 days; this is unusually long for a small deer (Geist 1998).

Average gestation period: 255 days.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

The Andean deer has been on the Endangered list since 1976. Population decline has been linked to poaching. The number of deer killed by white hunters in Peru is probably very small, but the Indians who live throughout the year at these altitudes undoubtedly take a considerable toll (Whitehead 1972). Also, loss of habitat to agriculture at lower altitudes, competition with domestic stock at higher altitudes, and loss of habitat due to logging operations may also play a role in their decline.

US Federal List: endangered

CITES: appendix i

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable

Current Listing Status Summary

Status: Endangered
Date Listed: 06/14/1976
Lead Region: Foreign (Region 10) 
Where Listed:


Population detail:

Population location: entire
Listing status: E

For most current information and documents related to the conservation status and management of Hippocamelus antisensis , see its USFWS Species Profile

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

Conservation Actions

There may be a conflict with the deer eating crops at lower altitudes and competing with domestic stock animals at higher altitudes (Putman 1988).

The Andean deer positively benefits humans by being a source of food. Humans also hunt the animal for its fur and antlers