Editing Musk deer (section)

==Characteristics==
[[File:Porte musc global.jpg|thumb|left|Skull of a buck showing the characteristic teeth]]
Musk deer resemble small deer, with a stocky build and hind legs longer than their front legs. They are about {{convert|80|to|100|cm|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|50|to|70|cm|abbr=on}} high at the shoulder, and weigh between {{convert|7|and|17|kg|abbr=on}}. The feet of musk deer are adapted for climbing in rough terrain. Like the [[Chinese water deer]], a cervid, they have no antlers, but the males do have enlarged upper [[canine (tooth)|canine]]s, forming sabre-like tusks. The [[dentition|dental formula]] is similar to that of true deer: {{DentalFormula|upper=0.1.3.3|lower=3.1.3.3}}.

The musk gland is found only in adult males. It lies in a sac located between the [[Sex organ|genitals]] and the [[Navel|umbilicus]], and its secretions are most likely used to attract mates.

Musk deer are herbivores, living in hilly, forested environments, generally far from human habitation. Like true deer, they eat mainly leaves, flowers, and grasses, with some mosses and lichens. They are solitary animals and maintain well-defined territories, which they [[scent marking|scent mark]] with their caudal glands. Musk deer are generally shy and either [[nocturnal]] or [[crepuscular]].

Males leave their [[territory (animal)|territories]] during the [[rutting season]] and compete for mates, using their tusks as weapons. In order to indicate their area, musk deer build latrines. These locations can be used to identify the musk deer's existence, number, and preferred habitat in the wild.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} Female musk deer give birth to a single fawn after about 150–180 days. The newborn young are very small and essentially motionless for the first month of their lives, a feature that helps them remain hidden from predators.<ref name="EoM">{{cite book |veditors=Macdonald D |chapter=Deer |vauthors=Frädrich H |title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals |year=1984 |publisher=Facts on File |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/518 518–9] |isbn=978-0-87196-871-5 |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/518 }}</ref>

Musk deer have been hunted for their [[scent gland]]s, which are  used in perfumes. The glands can fetch up to $45,000/kg on the black market.{{clarify|reason=as of when?|date=November 2022}} It is rumored that ancient royalty wore the [[deer musk|scent of the musk deer]], and that it is an aphrodisiac.<ref>Wild Russia, Discovery Channel{{full citation needed|date=October 2022}}</ref>