Chevrotain

Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small, even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, and are the only living members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera,<ref name=msw3>Template:MSW3</ref><ref name=MoschiolaTaxonomy>Template:Cite journal</ref> but several species also are known only from fossils.<ref name=extinct>Template:Cite journal</ref> The extant species are found in forests in South and Southeast Asia; a single species, the water chevrotain, is found in the rainforests of Central and West Africa.<ref name=walker>Template:Cite book</ref> In November 2019, conservation scientists announced that they had photographed silver-backed chevrotains (Tragulus versicolor) in a Vietnamese forest for the first time since the last confirmed sightings in 1990.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

They are solitary, or live in loose groupings or pairs, and feed almost exclusively on plant material.<ref name=walker/> Chevrotains are the smallest hoofed mammals in the world. The Asian species weigh between Template:Convert, while the African chevrotain is considerably larger, at Template:Convert.<ref name=erythrocytes9/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With an average length of Template:Convert and an average height of Template:Convert, the Java mouse-deer is the smallest surviving ungulate (hoofed) mammal, as well as the smallest artiodactyl (even-toed ungulate).<ref name=erythrocytes9>Template:Cite journal</ref> Despite their common name of "mouse deer", they are not closely related to true deer.

Etymology

The word "chevrotain" comes from the Middle French word chevrot (kid or fawn), derived from chèvre (goat).<ref>Template:Cite Merriam-Webster</ref>

The single African species is consistently known as "chevrotain".<ref name=msw3/><ref name=walker/><ref name=iucnHaquaticus>Template:Cite iucn</ref> The names "chevrotain" and "mouse-deer" have been used interchangeably among the Asian species,<ref name=walker/><ref name=iucnMindica>Template:Cite iucn</ref><ref name=iucnMkathygre>Template:Cite iucn</ref><ref name=iucnMmeminna>Template:Cite iucn</ref> though recent authorities typically have preferred chevrotain for the species in the genus Moschiola and mouse-deer for the species in the genus Tragulus.<ref name=msw3/> Consequently, all species with pale-spotted or -striped upper parts are known as "chevrotain" and without are known as "mouse-deer".

The Telugu name for the Indian spotted chevrotain is jarini pandi, which literally means "a deer and a pig".Template:Citation needed The Tamil term is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} sarukumāṉ "leaf-pile deer". The Sinhala name Template:Transliteration roughly translates to "mouse-like deer". This was used in the scientific name of the Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain, M. meminna.

Biology

The family was widespread and successful from the Oligocene (34 million years ago) through the Miocene (about 5 million years ago), but has remained almost unchanged over that time and remains as an example of an archaic ruminant type. They have four-chambered stomachs to ferment tough plant foods, but the third chamber is poorly developed. Unlike other artiodactyls, they lack an carotid rete,<ref name="Fukuta Kudo Sasaki Kimura 2007 pp. 112–1162">Template:Cite journal</ref> and so cannot heat exchange cool blood entering their brains, a thermoregulatory innovation that allows other artiodactyls to exploit hot arid habitats.<ref name="Mitchell Lust 2008 pp. 415–418">Template:Cite journal</ref> Though most species feed exclusively on plant material, the water chevrotain occasionally takes insects and crabs or scavenges meat and fish.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Like other ruminants, they lack upper incisors. 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 elongated canine teeth. These are especially prominent in males, where they project out on either side of the lower jaw, and are used in fights.<ref name=walker/> 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 facial scent glands, premolars with sharp crowns,<ref name=EoM/> and the form of their sexual behaviour and copulation.<ref name="Geist1998">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=EoM>Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Rare mating photograph of 'Mouse Deers' at Singapore Zoo(23-10-07).JPG

Mating mouse-deer

They are solitary or live in pairs.<ref name=walker/> The young are weaned 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 and preputial glands for marking territory. Their territories are relatively small, on the order of Template:Convert, but neighbors generally ignore each other, rather than compete aggressively.<ref name=EoM/>

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 that whales evolved from water-loving creatures that looked like small deer.<ref name="Walker2010">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Meijaard2010">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Taxonomy

Tragulidae's placement within Artiodactyla can be represented in the following cladogram:<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="O'Leary2013">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Song2012">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="dos Reis2012">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Upham2019">Template:Cite journal(see e.g. Fig S10)</ref>

Traditionally, only four extant species were recognized in the family Tragulidae.<ref name=walker/> In 2004, T. nigricans and T. versicolor were split from T. napu, and T. kanchil and T. williamsoni were split from T. javanicus.<ref name=TragulusTaxonomy>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2005, M. indica and M. kathygre were split from M. meminna.<ref name=MoschiolaTaxonomy/> With these changes, the 10 extant species are:

File:Moschiola indica in Singapore Zoo.jpg

Indian spotted chevrotain

File:Javan Chevrotain (Harvard University).JPG

Tragulus sp.Template:Efn

• Family Tragulidae
  • Genus Hyemoschus
    • Water chevrotain, Hyemoschus aquaticus
  • Genus Moschiola
    • Indian spotted chevrotain, Moschiola indica
    • Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain, Moschiola meminna
    • Yellow-striped chevrotain, Moschiola kathygre
  • Genus Tragulus
    • Java mouse-deer, Tragulus javanicus
    • Lesser mouse-deer or kanchil, Tragulus kanchil
    • Greater mouse-deer, Tragulus napu
    • Philippine mouse-deer, Tragulus nigricans
    • Vietnam mouse-deer, Tragulus versicolor
    • Williamson's mouse-deer, Tragulus williamsoni

Ancient chevrotains

File:Dorcatherium.jpg

Reconstruction of Dorcatherium by Heinrich Harder.

The Hypertragulidae were closely related to the Tragulidae.

The six extinct chevrotain genera<ref name=extinct/> include:

• Genus Dorcatherium
  • Dorcatherium minus from Pakistan
  • Dorcatherium majus from Pakistan
  • Dorcatherium naui, from Central Europe<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Genus Dorcabune
  • Dorcabune anthracotherioides from Pakistan
  • Dorcabune nagrii from Pakistan
• Genus Afrotragulus Sánchez, Quiralte, Morales and Pickford, 2010 <ref name="Sánchez2010">Template:Cite journal</ref>
  • Afrotragulus moruorotensis (previously "Dorcatherium" moruorotensis Pickford, 2001) (early Miocene) from Moruorot, Kenya
  • Afrotragulus parvus (previously "D." parvus Withworth 1958) (early Miocene) from Rusinga Island, Kenya
• Genus Siamotragulus
  • Siamotragulus sanyathanai Thomas, Ginsburg, Hintong and Suteethorn, 1990 (middle Miocene) from Lampang, Thailand
  • Siamotragulus haripounchai Mein and Ginsburg, 1997 (Miocene) from Lamphun, Thailand
• Genus Yunnanotherium
• Genus Archaeotragulus<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
  • Archaeotragulus krabiensis Metais, Chaimanee, Jaeger and Ducrocq, 2001 (late Eocene) from Krabi, Thailand

The extinct chevrotains might also include<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

• Genus Krabitherium
  • Krabitherium waileki Metais, Chaimanee, Jaeger and Ducrocq, 2007 (late Eocene) from Krabi, Thailand<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Genus Nalameryx
  • Nalameryx savagei<ref>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</ref>
  • Nalameryx sulaimani

Mythology

File:Coat of arms of Malacca.svg

The supporters of the coat of arms of Malacca are two mouse deer, alluding to the founding legend of Malacca.

According to the Malay Annals, King Parameswara, seeking a place to found a new city, came to a place where he saw a mouse deer (kancil in Malay) kicking his hunting dog into the river. 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 of Malacca.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp In memory of this founding legend, the coat of arms of Malacca depicts two mouse deer.

The mouse deer or Sang Kancil is also a clever character from several Malay folktales.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp

External links

• Template:Cite EB1911