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Tiny deer weighed just one pound at birth

Posted at 3:41 PM, May 16, 2014
and last updated 2014-05-16 15:41:00-04

NEW YORK, NY (WPIX) — Queens just got cuter. A southern pudu fawn – the world’s smallest deer – was recently welcomed into the world at the borough’s zoo.

The still-unnamed female was born April 29, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo announced Friday.

She weighed just one pound when she was born. Pudu typically grow to just about 12 to 14 inches at the shoulder, and can reach 20 pounds as an adult.

The world’s smallest deer species, pudu puda bark when danger is near.

“What the pudu lacks in size, it makes up in strategy,” the zoo said.

“They are generally shy and solitary, preferring to hide in thick vegetation. When chased, pudu run in a zig-zag pattern to escape predators including owls, foxes, pumas, and small cats.”

Pudu are bred at the Queens Zoo as part of the Species Survival Program. Native to Chile and Argentina, the tiny creatures have been designated Vulnerable.

Another equally aw-inducing pudu was born at the zoo last May.