Little information is known about the communication and perception of red brockets.
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
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
Red brockets occasionally cause damage to agricultural fields.
Negative Impacts: crop pest
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
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 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 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 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 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 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 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:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
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.
