This is a pudu (genus name Pudu pudu), the world's smallest deer.  This little fellow, who grew up in the Los Angeles Zoo, was roughly ankle-height when this picture was taken, and eventually grew to about shin-height.

That's as big as they get.  Eighteen inches at the shoulder, tops.  With a bit of effort, a particularly tall pudu could perhaps lick your knee.

But pudus know better than to lick people's knees.

(Actually, no they don't.)

Pudus are terribly endangered.  For obvious reasons -- I mean, no claws, no horns to speak of (although the related Pudu Mephistopheles gets a pair of goofy little satan-stubs), and their only real defense in the wild is to trot like hell, which at their size is roughly the pace of a slow stroll.

So say hello to the cutest animal on Earth, the pudu.  While you still can.

(PS -- I know all the arguments against zoos.  But they're also about the only place on Earth making an effort to keep the species alive.  So deal with it.)