South American Red Brocket

Maximum longevity: 17.1 years (captivity) Observations: In the wild, these animals have been estimated to live up to 12 years (Bernhard Grzimek 1990). One captive specimen lived 17.1 years (Richard Weigl 2005).

Red brockets occasionally cause damage to agricultural fields.

Negative Impacts: crop pest

Red brockets stand low to the ground, have a reddish-brown fur color to camouflage with the tropical vegetation in the background, and are well adapted for moving through thick vegetative matter. Anti-predatory adaptations behaviors employed by red brockets include freezing, swimming, and camouflage. If a predator decides to chase a red brocket, it will alternate between leaping and freezing behaviors in order to confuse the predator. If red brockets are near a river, they will use their exceptional swimming skills to escape. Known predators of red brockets are pumas, jaguars, and humans. Pumas and jaguars are stealthy hunters that often wait from a distance for the most opportunistic time pounce. Humans have hunted red brockets for meat and trade.

Known Predators:

• pumas (Puma concolor)
• jaguars (Panthera onca)
• humans (Homo sapiens)

Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic

Red brockets are the largest members of the genus of brocket deer. The head and neck exhibit a light grayish-brown color. The inner thighs, throat, tail, and inner part of the ears are white. The rest of their bodies are reddish brown to chestnut red in color and young brockets are born with white spots. Males tend to be larger and have spikes to protect against predators. Their shoulder height measures 65 to 80 cm, tail length measures 8 to 15 cm, and the head to body length measures 103 to 146 cm.

Range mass: 20 to 55 kg.

Range length: 103 to 146 cm.

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger; ornamentation

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Red brockets live between 7 and 12 years of age, but due to the elusiveness of this species, it is difficult to obtain sufficient data.

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 12 years.

Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 16 years.

Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 7 to 12 years.

Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13.8 years.

Red brockets live in dense tropical forests with closed canopies and prefer either moist or really dry climates. They tend to stay near marshes, swamps, and streams along thick vegetative cover. Their small body size helps them to move easily through water and dense vegetation and remain unnoticed by predators. When night falls, red brockets forage on forest edges, in agricultural fields, and in gardens.

Range elevation: 0 to 5000 m.

Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest

Aquatic Biomes: rivers and streams

Wetlands: marsh ; swamp

Other Habitat Features: agricultural

Red brockets are native to the neotropical region ranging from southern Mexico to northern Argentina and from sea level up to 5000 m in elevation.

Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )

Red brocket diets consist mainly of fruit and some leaves and fibrous material. During the wet season when food availability is low, ttheir diet may consist mainly of fungi. In extreme cases where fruit and fungi become scarce, it may eat stems, bark, petioles, leaves, and animal matter instead.

Plant Foods: leaves; roots and tubers; wood, bark, or stems; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit; flowers

Other Foods: fungus

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Frugivore , Granivore , Lignivore)

Red brockets play an essential role within the Amazonian ecosystem. They alter plant communities and the overall structure of the forest by grazing and dispersing seeds. Without red brockets, certain plant seeds would not be dispersed and might become endangered or face extinction. Red brockets are also the main source of food for jaguars and pumas.

Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds; creates habitat

Red brockets provide valuable meat and a means of trade for humans.

Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material; research and education

Little is known of the conservation status of red brocket deer.

US Federal List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: data deficient

Little information is known about the communication and perception of red brockets.

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

Little information is known about the matings systems of red brockets.

In the northeastern Peruvian Amazon, red brocket deer conceive during all months of the year except from September and October. In Surinam, they reproduce from September to April. Depending on where the red brocket deer are located, they may have peaks in conception during the dry seasons. Females between the ages of 0 and 4 years are more capable of birthing two offspring, whereas females between the ages of 4 and 6 years usually only produce one. Females reach sexual maturity around 11 months of age and males reach maturity around 12 months of age.

Breeding interval: There is little information regarding the frequency of red brocket breeding.

Breeding season: Red brockets breed throughout the year depending on rainfall.

Average number of offspring: 1.2.

Range gestation period: 222 to 228 days.

Average weaning age: 6 months.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 11 to 13 months.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 12 months.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual

Average birth mass: 538.5 g.

Average number of offspring: 1.3.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 365 days.

Little information is known about the parental investment of red brockets.

This shy, seldom seen deer is generally solitary or occasionally seen in pairs (6) (7). It feeds predominantly on fruit when available, but will turn to a diet of leaves during periods when fruit is scarce (2) (6). Fungi may also constitute an important part of its diet during the wet season (2). When they sense danger, red brockets have a habit of freezing (7), but they can also run with a leaping gait and, being capable swimmers, will readily take to the water to escape a predator (2) (3). Their dagger-like antlers also makes them capable of damaging combat (3). Calving may take place year round (3) (7), although in some areas there is a peak, such as in Surinam where it mainly takes place from September to April (6). The gestation period is long, lasting from 218 to 228 days (3), and a single young is produced (2). The young deer, which lose their spots after two or three months, mature rapidly and may breed by the age of just 11 months (3). In captivity, an individual lived for over 16 years (7).

The red brocket occurs in numerous protected areas throughout its range (6). The IUCN has been unable to determine the conservation status of this species due to a lack of data, and have therefore classified it as Data Deficient (1). Therefore, research is clearly needed to determine the status of each subspecies, and surveys, ecological studies and investigations into the human use of red brocket have all been suggested (6).

The red brocket is the largest of all brocket deer, and also has the greatest range (3). Named for its foxy red coat, this stout-bodied deer with slender limbs has white fur on the inside of the legs, throat, lips, inner part of the ear and the lower part of the tail (3). Young red brockets have whitish spots on their coat (2). Like the majority of deer species (5), male red brockets have antlers, but they are generally only short, dagger-like spikes. These antlers can be shed at any time of the year, and may be kept for over one year (3). Fourteen subspecies of the red brocket are currently recognised (3).

Brocket deer usually inhabit forests and woodlands from sea level up to 5,000 metres (7). The red brocket appears to prefer fairly dry or moist habitats and generally avoids very wet, flooded areas (6).

Occurs in Central and South America, from eastern Mexico and Trinidad south to northern Argentina (6) (7).

Classified as Data Deficient (DD) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1). Subspecies Mazama americana cerasina is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Guatemala (4).

Although the status of most red brocket subspecies is unknown (6), it is clear that in some areas this species faces threats. The red brocket is hunted for meat throughout much of its range, both for subsistence and for sale, with its meat being found extensively in markets of the larger cities of the Amazon Basin (6). Brocket deer are also hunted by people because of the damage they can do to bean and corn crops (7). In certain areas, such as the densely populated areas of the Amazonian region of Peru, the red brocket deer has been reportedly overhunted, while in others, such as Costa Rica, Paraguay and Venezuela, habitat destruction also threatens this species (6). A combination of hunting and habitat destruction may have caused the red brocket to disappear from El Salvador altogether (7).

The red brocket (Mazama americana) is a species of brocket deer from forests in South America, ranging from northern Argentina to Colombia and the Guianas. It also occurs on the Caribbean island of Trinidad (it also occurred on the island of Tobago until very recent historical times, but has been extirpated there).