“Pudu”—sounds like a short name for a Hollywood couple

Um, "Pudu"?! I LOVE IT when new species of animals come out of the woodwork to kill us with their adorabuhlness!

Have you ever HEARD of a "Pudu"? Even the name is prosh. Here is a pair o’ pudus at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

Pudu_w_baby

And get a load of the close-up, People. You can’t handle the Pudu.

Coxcu

Libbie M., you win some kind of C.O. award for bringing this new animal to our attensche.

61 comments … read them below or add one

  1. Maimes says:

    oh my goodness
    they are like stuby little adorable deer but not!
    Look at that squashed little bambi!

  2. Rogh-sensei says:

    I thought “pudu” was a Huttese word for “fodder.” But I’m a tremendous geek that way.

  3. paranoiagirl says:

    Adorable!

    Also, wasn’t “pudu!” something one of the characters said in star wars, ep. 1?
    …I am a nerd.

  4. Annie J says:

    So adorable! Like deer with bear-y faces almost XD The behbeh is so kyoot! *snorgles*

  5. J. Bo says:

    Bob Harris (a wonderful writer, traveler, and “Jeopardy!” champ) is a longtime fan of the pudu and other pudu-like creatures. In fact, the pudu is his site’s mascot:
    http://www.bobharris.com/content/blogcategory/70/99/

  6. Lone says:

    Nerds unite!

    And um, so Bambi and a wombat made sweet, sweet family safe love eh?

  7. CaroL says:

    You do that Pudu that you do so well…. Sigh…I am such a spaz.

  8. Jim says:

    I feel all ahead of the curve, being a long time reader of Bob Harris’ blog. Pudus totally rule.

  9. Beth says:

    I feel lame for being a biologist and not knowing about these little guys… but I *loves* them!!

  10. Jenn says:

    14″ high wittle dears! South America has the qteness!!!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pud%C3%BA

  11. debg says:

    I used to visit the pudu all the time at the LA Zoo, where it’s always hot and you’re always walking uphill. An ex-BF and I adored them, and he came up with a great band name: Spunky Pudu. But I’ve never seen a baby until now. I’m even more in love with them.

    Apropos of nothing, the new Eddie Izzard show is fantastic, and they sell shirts that say “I’m covered with bees.” After paying for the tickets, I couldn’t afford a shirt. Don’t miss the tour if you can help it, and definitely grab a shirt!

  12. Juniper Jupiter says:

    Oh my! I juss wanna moosh their faces in my hands and juss pop the bebeh in my mouf!! (Have you guys ever seen me? I have a big mouf!!! I can stick my whole fist in there…so it is possible!!!) Oh an’ I also wanna play CONNECT THA DOTS!!! I see a lambie eating dandielions!!! :D

  13. Raemie L. says:

    The bebeh’s shading makes it look like he’s wearing a shawl. Or a shell. Mock tortoise shell? Hey, it’s tewtally the Alice in Wonderland illustration.

  14. steph says:

    OMG the tail~ the baby tail i’m gonna crack!

  15. Jenn says:

    This is off point but I just received my Ape-stract painting from Cheetah! (Yes that one from Tarzan!) It’s gorgeous! Below is a link to the C.H.E.E.T.A.H. sanctuary. You too can own a one of a kind painting by one of Hollywood’s most famous stars! (It’s actually better than a lot of “human” art!) And Meg, several seriously prosh monkey pics!
    http://www.cheetathechimp.org/donate.htm

  16. Kari says:

    First thing I said when I saw the little guy… “Awwww, Bubbles!” Don’t know why.

  17. chanpon says:

    That is not real! No way you can get so cute of a stubbular deer like baby, with perfect spots and all. *checks for stick coming out of the belly*

  18. Gracie says:

    “Pudu” is a regular character in the online Little Dee comic strip: http://www.littledee.net/

    Little Dee, btw, is a wonderful strip and I think of it as methadone for those of us who miss Calvin and Hobbs.

  19. Rachel Sweeden says:

    I agree with you Maimes the Pudu looks like a squished Bambi.

  20. Rojo says:

    It took so long for comments to load that I had time to go off to Bob Harris’s site and retrieve the url for his Pudu category, only to find out someone had gotten to it before me. So instead I only find myself seconding the recommendation to go to his site.

    I like his other stuff as well and would recommend.

  21. jrochest says:

    Okay, I am so glad that someone mentioned Bob Harris’ site.

    But I also have to submit this
    pic of a tiny baby pudu being weighed at a zoo somewhere: it’s no longer available via google, but I copied it onto my livejournal a few years ago:

    baby pudu

  22. jrochest says:
  23. BiscuitTin says:

    Bob Harris says, “The pudu is always in a good moodu, ‘cuz he knows more than youdu.”

  24. Totalee Puppy says:

    Love the pudu-It’s a happier day because of this little guy. I learn about more animals on CO.

  25. harlemgrrl says:

    1- Heard of them and have seen one before

    2- WANT

  26. rosie says:

    oh-em-gee-squee
    it’s a deer/kangaroo cross.
    i knew animals were taking over the world, they’re making the ultimate fighting animals. invisible pouches on the tummy, puss in boots-like eyes in case it gets caught; the works!!1
    i’m dead already.

  27. Metz says:

    OMB! Iz Hazbro’s newest toy, My Little Pudu!
    Just you wait, soon they’ll be covering the shelves in candy pastel shades. Not to mention all the necessary accessories. Pudu Castle, Cuteland Village Playset (home of teh Pudus natch), Pudu Beauty Salon and Spa, bajillions of teensy dressup clothes and easy to lose shoes and brushes, and the Pudu SnoCone Machine and Easy Bake Oven tie-ins.

  28. hon glad says:

    Oh hai iz new hear.

  29. Marj says:

    I’ll gladly join the crowd of people who associated the name with a Tatooine curse.

    And anything who thinks we’re lame is a nerfherder!

    Anyway, I want to give the little dude mucho pets!

  30. PattyP says:

    South American? Looks like a cross between a deer and a capybara! Is cute!

  31. Heather says:

    Aren’t these little guys great? I work at Woodland Park Zoo and I heard about the baby’s birth. This must be the one that was born not but a week ago, and it was a complete surprise to the keepers. They didn’t even know that the mom was pregnant! The dad is only like a foot high at the shoulder and he has these cute lil fuzzy antlers. So anerable!

  32. I probably don’t need to discuss WHY, but if you told my brother and I about this animal when we were below the age of 12 we would have laughed for a very, very long time.

    And you know what would have made us laugh harder?

    If you told us that pudus came from Lake Titicaca.

  33. Catherine says:

    I saw Pudus at the zoo the other day and was even more amused to find out that their latin name is simply ‘Pudu Pudu’.

  34. cheesybird says:

    Scrolling down the page, I was already in squeeeeeee mode when I saw mommy Pudu. Then I kept on scrolling and baby Pudu popped into view and I went into squeeeeeeeee overdrive!

    I googled Pudu to find out more about them and discovered two delightful things:

    1. Someone named Brent Huffman has created a website called “Ultimate Ungulate”. How awesome is that?

    2. This squeeworthy picture on “Ultimate Ungulate”:

    http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Pudu_puda.html

  35. cheesybird says:

    Oops… sorry. I mean THIS squeeworthy picture:

    http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Images/Pudu_puda/P_puda2.html

  36. Oscar says:

    Pudus are from Chile (South America). They are extremely timid, so they’re hard to spot in the wilderness. Plus, I guess their natural habitat has been endangered in the last decades, because of timber companies, etc.
    However, in a Zoo they became familiar to people and probably won’t be difficult to interact with them in a few weeks period.
    I had the luck of seeing Pudus very close, once at a farm in the south of Chile, and again at a Zoo. Cute, cute animals.
    Is good to see a couple of those little guys is hanging out in Seattle :)

  37. Theresa says:

    Berthaservant, apparently they do!
    No wonder they’re shy, someone named them “Pudu.” When will you parents learn– children can be so cruel!!

  38. Theo says:

    You remind me of the man!
    (what man?)
    The man with the power!
    (what power?)
    The power of… well, you know the rest.

  39. Babs says:

    Wouldn’t a pair o’ pudus be called a “puduet”?

    [Yep, like if Art Garfunkel was still singing with Paul Simon when "Loves Me Like a Rock" was recorded... - Ed.]

    [...pudu you think you're fooling?]

  40. Kristen says:

    Pudu’s are my FAVORITE- why didn’t I think to send any in? =) Just made my morning to see them. Thanks!

  41. Jenny P. says:

    I go to the Woodland Park Zoo all the time and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pudu. Does anyone know where I can find this baby pudu? Is it by the lemurs. I must find it!

  42. Catsquatch says:

    Pudus are very small deer if I remember right….

    So a baby Pudu is a eeensy deer!

    Super cute!

  43. Theresa says:

    Wait a minute, I just found out that the name is really “Pudú.” Way to rock the acute accent, tiny dudes!

  44. Katie Kat says:

    OH MAH GOD.

    That is all.

  45. ThreeCatNight says:

    Oh, oh, and oh again! I am totally in love now!
    (*falls down in a heap on the floor; co-workers must not see foolish behavior*)

  46. Not actually our pudu, but if you want to see our baby pudu, click on this video of it taken when it was one day old:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIhYm8Jr5rg

  47. Fegli says:

    Holy mother of Jesus! It’s like a bunny a deer and a kitten and and and… Ahhh!!!

    Redonk.

  48. LOL, Teho. L. O. L.

  49. Katrina says:

    Pudu puppy pandering…

  50. Leah says:

    ooh! those are cute. My mom use to work at that zoo. Maybe she can get us in to see them upclose :) or even feed one!

  51. Daphne Moss says:

    Another high-water mark for CO! And the close-up of the behbe pudu tailio…

    *thud*

  52. Plum says:

    I feel like I was just slapped across the uterus.

  53. slythwolf says:

    I thought “pudu” was a Huttese word for “fodder.”

    You would be right if you spelled it “puuduu”. Although a large contingent of the general populace appears to think it means–*ahem*–what fodder becomes after digestion.

  54. Theo says:

    Slythwolf — that’s because Lucas meant for folks to take it that way, otherwise he’d have called it “fuuduu” or suchlike. I regret deeply that I am able to remember ANY dialog from Phantom Menace, but… well, what Sebulba says, after being trounced by a moppet in the the pod race?…

    Meh. Anyway, you’re entitled to win *something* for bringing up this usage, because *I* darn well wasn’t going to.

    [hands over the Tin Puuduu]
    [plays fanfare on kazooduu]

  55. Rosie A. says:

    I just don’t know which is cuter, the momma or the behbeh! DOUBLE SNORGLE!

  56. Katrina says:

    It is possible to play a kazoo to a pudu?

    Oh, Plum, I’ve had that feeling for some of these photos, I feel your slap.

    PUDU BABY’S GOTS SPOTS ON!
    Hooray for the pudu spots!!!!…EVERYONE – TAKE SOME PUDU HOORAY!!!!

  57. jessipolarbear says:

    If anybody is interested in learning more about the pudu, they are featured in the “Planet Earth” episode called ‘Seasonal Forests’ they live in a forest where everything is miniature, including a wildcat that just looks like a house cat…so cute!

  58. Heather says:

    Jenny P.-

    The pudu are now located next to the flamingos in their new exhibit, which is near the Temperate Forest and the Family Farm, right behind Zoomasium (if that makes any sense). This may sound like I’m just placing some advertisement here (and I kind of am), but come see them! :)

  59. Libbie M says:

    It cannot possibly be overstated: This tiny pudu bebeh is ONLY SIX INCHES TALL.

    There is a whole world of eety-beety deer species out there. The pudu is one of many; all of them explode the cuteness scale.

    Mouse deer: http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/endanger_animals/images/langer-malay-mouse-deer480.jpg

  60. E says:

    Oh goodness, this is the sillyname I call my vowels sometimes! I just didn’t spell it this way. I have no idea how I came up with it; one day I just called my O “poodoo”.

  61. Glad I’m not the only one that thought of Return of the Jedi at the mention of the word “pudu.” :)