What are mouse deer?
Mouse deer are native to the tropical jungles of West-Central Africa and Southeast Asia. Mouse deer walk with an odd, tiptoe step and are 20 to 35 cm in height. Because of their heavy hind legs they resemble rodents. They are also often confused with musk deer because the upper canines of the male chevrotain are enlarged and look like tusks. Chevrotains are hornless and have brownish coats with white underparts.
Ancient origins
Mouse deer are the only survivors of a group of hoofed mammals that were widely distributed 65 million years ago. They are considered the sister group of the living Ruminantia, which includes cattle and deer. In South Asia they are found in fossils dating back 18 million years. They reached their highest diversity 11 million years ago.
Behaviour
Mouse deer are nocturnal and although present in reasonable numbers, they are rarely seen. They eat leaves, buds, and fruits, but in captivity have been known to eat insects. They use tiny tunnel-like trails through thick brush to travel between feeding and resting sites. Their resting sites are commonly in rock crevices, hollow trees or dense vegetation. Males are very territorial and mark their territory with secretions from a gland under the chin. Conflicts involve chases and attempts to slash each other with their canines. When agitated mouse deer beat their hooves on the ground at speeds of up to seven times per second, creating a ‘drum roll’ sound.
Reproduction
Female mouse deer have the ability to be constantly pregnant throughout their adult life, being able to conceive 85-155 minutes after giving birth. They give birth to a single young. The young are born fully developed and can stand within 30 minutes of birth. Mouse deer live either in monogamous pairs or are solitary. Their life span is up to 12 years. |
