Lesser mouse-deer
 | This article may contain too many links. (September 2026) |
| Lesser mouse-deer | |
|---|---|
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| At Tierpark Hellabrunn | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Tragulidae |
| Genus: | Tragulus |
| Species: | T. kanchil |
| Binomial name | |
| Tragulus kanchil Raffles, 1821 | |
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The lesser mouse-deer, lesser oriental chevrotain,[1] lesser Malay chevrotain, or kanchil (Tragulus kanchil) is a species of even-toed ungulate in the family Tragulidae.
Distribution
[edit]
The lesser mouse-deer is found widely across Southeast Asia in Indochina, Myanmar (Kra Isthmus), Brunei, Cambodia, China (Southern Yunnan), Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatra and many other small islands), Laos, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and many other small islands), Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Description
[edit]It is one of the smallest known hoofed mammals, its mature size being as little as 45 cm (18 in) and 2 kg (4.4 lb) and related to the even smaller Java mouse-deer. It is threatened by predation by feral dogs.[citation needed]
Behavior
[edit]Research revealed that this species which was initially believed to be nocturnal actually conduct their activities during the day. Also, though many births occur in May, November or December, the females are able to reproduce throughout the year.[2]
Males stamp their feet to communicate—possibly as a signal of dominance or resource holding potential.[3]
Folklore and literature
[edit]In Indonesian and Malaysian folklore, the mouse-deer Sang Kancil is a cunning trickster similar to Br'er Rabbit from the Uncle Remus tales, even sharing some story plots. For instance, they both trick enemies pretending to be dead or inanimate,[4][5] and both lose a race to slower opponents.[6][7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Timmins, R.; Duckworth, J.W. (2015). "Tragulus kanchil". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015 e.T136297A61978576. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T136297A61978576.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ↑ Kusuda, Satoshi; Adachi, Itsuki; Fujioka, Koh; Nakamura, Masato; Amano-Hanzawa, Noriko; Goto, Nozomi; Furuhashi, Sayaka; Doi, Osamu (February 2013). "Reproductive characteristics of female lesser mouse deers (Tragulus javanicus) based on fecal progestagens and breeding records". Animal Reproduction Science. 137 (1–2): 69–73. doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2012.12.008. PMID 23313615.
- ↑ Strange, Bee Choo; Chua, Marcus AH (2027). "Foot stamping and tail flagging by mouse-deer Tragulus spp". Hystrix the Italian Journal of Mammalogy. 38 (1): 0. doi:10.4404/hystrix-00867-2026.
- ↑ Backus, Emma M. (1900). "Folk-Tales from Georgia". The Journal of American Folklore. 13 (48): 19–32. doi:10.2307/533730. JSTOR 533730.
- ↑ Jon C. Stott (21 September 2010). A Book of Tricksters: Tales from Many Lands. Heritage House Publishing Co. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-926613-69-7.
- ↑ Rahimidin Zahari. Sang Kancil and the snail. ITBM. p. 49. ISBN 978-967-460-035-8.
- ↑ "Uncle Remus (Myth-Folklore Online)".
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Tragulus
- Mammals of Brunei
- Mammals of Cambodia
- Mammals of China
- Mammals of Indonesia
- Mammals of Laos
- Mammals of Malaysia
- Mammals of Myanmar
- Mammals of Singapore
- Mammals of Thailand
- Mammals of Vietnam
- Mammals of Borneo
- Mammals described in 1821
- Taxa named by Thomas Stamford Raffles