Chevrotains, ormouse-deer, are diminutive,even-toed ungulates that make up thefamilyTragulidae, and are the only living members of theinfraorderTragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera,[1][2] but several species also are known only fromfossils.[3] The extant species are found in forests in South and Southeast Asia; a single species, thewater chevrotain, is found in the rainforests ofCentral andWest Africa.[4] In November 2019, conservation scientists announced that they had photographedsilver-backed chevrotains (Tragulus versicolor) in a Vietnamese forest for the first time since the last confirmed sightings in 1990.[5][6][7]
They aresolitary, or live in loose groupings or pairs, and feed almost exclusively on plant material.[4] Chevrotains are the smallesthoofed mammals in the world. The Asian species weigh between 1–4 kg (2–9 lb), while the African chevrotain is considerably larger, at 7–16 kg (15–35 lb).[8][9] With an average length of 45 cm (18 in) and an average height of 30 cm (12 in), theJava mouse-deer is the smallest surviving ungulate (hoofed) mammal, as well as the smallest artiodactyl (even-toed ungulate).[8] Despite their common name of "mouse deer", they are not closely related to true deer.
The word "chevrotain" comes from the Middle French wordchevrot (kid or fawn), derived fromchèvre (goat).[10]
The single African species is consistently known as "chevrotain".[1][4][11] The names "chevrotain" and "mouse-deer" have been used interchangeably among the Asian species,[4][12][13][14] though recent authorities typically have preferred chevrotain for the species in the genusMoschiola and mouse-deer for the species in the genusTragulus.[1] Consequently, all species with pale-spotted or -striped upper parts are known as "chevrotain" and without are known as "mouse-deer".
TheTelugu name for theIndian spotted chevrotain isjarini pandi, which literally means "a deer and a pig".[citation needed] InKannada, it is calledbarka (ಬರ್ಕ), inMalayalam, it is calledകൂരമാൻkūramān, and theKonkani name for it isbarinka. TheTamil term isசருகு மான்sarukumāṉ "leaf-pile deer". TheSinhala namemeeminna roughly translates to "mouse-like deer". This was used in the scientific name of theSri Lankan spotted chevrotain,M. meminna.
The family was widespread and successful from theOligocene (34 million years ago) through theMiocene (about 5 million years ago), but has remained almost unchanged over that time and remains as an example of an archaicruminant type. They have four-chambered stomachs to ferment tough plant foods, but thethird chamber is poorly developed. Unlike other artiodactyls, they lack ancarotid rete,[15] and so cannot heat exchange cool blood entering their brains, a thermoregulatory innovation that allows other artiodactyls to exploit hot arid habitats.[16] Though most species feed exclusively on plant material, thewater chevrotain occasionally takes insects and crabs orscavenges meat and fish.[17] Like other ruminants, they lack upperincisors. They give birth to only a single young.
In other respects, however, they have primitive features, closer to nonruminants such as pigs. All species in the family lack antlers and horns, but both sexes have elongatedcanine teeth. These are especially prominent in males, where they project out on either side of the lower jaw, and are used in fights.[4] Their legs are short and thin, which leave them lacking in agility, but also helps to maintain a smaller profile to aid in running through the dense foliage of their environments. Other pig-like features include the presence of four toes on each foot, the absence of facialscent glands,premolars with sharp crowns,[18] and the form of theirsexual behaviour andcopulation.[19][18]
They are solitary or live in pairs.[4] The young areweaned at three months of age, and reach sexual maturity between 5 and 10 months, depending on species. Parental care is relatively limited. Although they lack the types of scent glands found in most other ruminants, they do possess a chin gland for marking each other as mates or antagonists, and, in the case of the water chevrotain, anal andpreputial glands formarking territory. Their territories are relatively small, on the order of 13–24 hectares (32–59 acres), but neighbors generally ignore each other, rather than compete aggressively.[18]
Some of the species show a remarkable affinity with water, often remaining submerged for prolonged periods to evade predators or other unwelcome intrusions. This has also lent support to the idea thatwhales evolved from water-loving creatures that looked like small deer.[20][21]
Traditionally, only fourextant species were recognized in the family Tragulidae.[4] In 2004,T. nigricans andT. versicolor weresplit fromT. napu, andT. kanchil andT. williamsoni were split fromT. javanicus.[27] In 2005,M. indica andM. kathygre were split fromM. meminna.[2] With these changes, the 10 extant species are:
The supporters of thecoat of arms of Malacca are two mouse deer, alluding to the founding legend of Malacca.
According to theMalay Annals, KingParameswara, seeking a place to found a new city, came to a place where he saw a mouse deer (kancil inMalay) kicking his hunting dog into theriver. He thought this boded well, remarking, 'this place is excellent, even the mouse deer is formidable; it is best that we establish a kingdom here'. He then founded there the city ofMalacca.[35]: 51–52 In memory of this founding legend, thecoat of arms of Malacca depicts two mouse deer.
The mouse deer or Sang Kancil is also a clever character from severalMalay folktales.[36]: 61–66
^Changing taxonomy in the genus Tragulus make exact species identification uncertain, but eitherT. javanicus orT. kanchil. Note also the contradicting English and scientific names on the sign on the photo.
^abGroves, C.; Meijaard, E. (2005). "Intraspecific variation in Moschiola, the Indian chevrotain".The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Supplement 12:413–421.
^Thenius, E. (1950). "Über die Sichtung und Bearbeitung der jungtertiären Säugetierreste aus dem Hausruck und Kobernaußerwald (O.Ö.)".Verh. Geol. B.-A.51 (2): 56.
^Vaughan, Terry A.; Ryan, James M.; Czaplewski, Nicholas J. (21 April 2011).Mammalogy (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.ISBN978-0-7637-6299-5. Retrieved4 April 2012.
^"Krabitherium".Paleobiology Database (Paleodb.org). Retrieved18 January 2013.
^Mennecart, B., Wazir, W.A., Sehgal, R.K., Patnaik, R., Singh, N.P., Kumar, N. and Nanda, A.C., 2021. New remains of Nalamaeryx (Tragulidae, Mammalia) from the Ladakh Himalaya and their phylogenetical and palaeoenvironmental implications. Historical Biology, pp.1-9.https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2021.2014479
^Brown, C. C. (October 1952)."The Malay Annals".Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.25 (2/3 (159)):5–276.JSTOR41502950.
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