



The baby pudu, the world's smallest species of deer, looking precious at the Queens Zoo. Today

With their big, bright eyes and stately postures, deer are already one of the more alluring animals in the animal kingdom. And now there’s a diminutive doe proving that good (maybe the best?) things come in small packages.

This adorable endangered southern pudu, the world’s smallest species of deer, was recently born at the Wildlife Conservation Society Queens Zoo in Flushing, and his arrival was announced on Monday.

Swooning? So are we.



The doe, who has not yet been named, weighed just 1 pound when she was born on May 3, but could someday reach 20 pounds as an adult, according to a press release from the zoo. It’s still nursing, but zoo staff will soon starting incorporating fresh leaves, grain, kale, carrots and hay into the fawn’s diet.

The fawn hides behind nettles in its exhibit. Today

Pudu may be small, but they have a few helpful characteristics that come in handy when navigating the world: They bark at any signs of danger and can climb over fallen trees.



“Although small in stature, only 12 to 14 inches at the shoulder, pudu are excellent jumpers, sprinters, and climbers,” the press release reads. “What the pudu lacks in size, it makes up in strategy. When chased, pudu run in a zig-zag pattern to escape predation.”