Marsh Deer

The Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus)  is the largest deer species from South America.  It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. They possess very large ears lined with white hairs, red-gold to tawny brown fur, blackish eyes, and long dark legs. The hair turns darker during winter. There are also white marks on the hips and around the eyes. The legs are black below the tarsal as is the muzzle. The tail is of a paler reddish tone than the rest of the body on its upper part and black on the under part. The Marsh Deer lives only in marsh areas, notably the Pantanal and Chaco, in which the level of water is less than 70 cm deep. They are swift swimmers. The marshes with their high vegetation density protect them from predators and provide them with food.