Lookit this funky li'l mouse-bunny-pig-deer. These little buddies blow my mind, fun Chevrotain facts under the cut :)
So @underfell-crystal tagged me in [this post] where I spouted some random facts about them because I literally love these tiny babies so much.
In case you don't wanna click, here's a copy-pasta.
To say I love these things is an understatement.
They're part of the Tragulidae family-a family made solely for these guys!!
There are many different species of Tragulidae and they're all different sizes! The smallest is the lesser Malay at 4lbs and the largest is the water Chevrotain at 33lbs!!!
None of them grow larger than the size of a small dog.
There are two types within the Tragulidae family-true Chevrotains and the mouse deer!
Wanna know my favourite part???
They have fangs.
That's right, these tiny things have fangs that'll give vampires a run for their money. A male's fangs are typically longer than a female's, and are used to stab each other (probably to assert dominance).
Don't worry, their coats and swole necks protect them from the bites.
They have a 3 chambered stomach (deer have four) and really haven't changed much in the way of evolution. They're considered living fossils just like horseshoe crabs!
(In case you were wondering, the last time they changed was about 5 million years ago)
So what I was saying about the different types of them-there's actually a third, more mysterious genera: the spotted mouse deer (Moschiola). Despite the categorisations of them though, they all look relatively the same.
(spotted baby^)
'Nother fun fact-these guys are ruminants! This means that they're "an even-toed ungulate mammal that chews the cud regurgitated from its rumen." So, add cow to their description.
Remember the water Chevrotain? Their best defense is diving underwater!! When they know a predator is near, they go for a swim and scrunch up their whole tiny bodies so they can walk on the river/stream bed and not be swept away from the currents. Sometimes when there's like vegetation and stuff? They'll hold onto those!
Water Chevrotains can hold their breath for about four minutes
Bro these bitches definitely mate like bunnies. Okay, so-they carry their babies for like five-nine months depending on the species.
Babies can stand on their own within an hour of being plopped onto the ground! Mother nature is beautiful.
Baby mommas nurse on three legs??
Literally hours after popping out a baby, Chevrotains are ready to get knocked up again.
Predators love these guys cause they don't have any forms of protection (antlers/horns) so they're pretty secluded li'l fellas.
Y'know how bunnies get all stompity when angry? So do Chevrotains!!!
They can stomp like four-seven times per second. Their tiny tap shoes are surprisingly loud and wards of predators or warns nearby friends that danger is afoot.
Hey bunjy! Saw your post about the podu, and wondered- i am quit a fan of the mouse deer. Everytime i see their tiny small baby stupid legs Nd even smaller fangs I go absolutely apeshit. I was under the impression that they are, in fact, the smallest deers in the world. Are they like, not deers or something? A deer like creature? Will you be able to clarify this for me please??? 🥺🥺🥺 thank you!
you're correct! mouse deer ARE even-toed ungulates roughly the size and shape of a large potato, but they are NOT, strictly speaking, deer!
this is because Actual Deer are even-toed hooved ungulates from the family Cervidae, while Mouse Deer are a completely separate type of even-toed ungulates from the family Tragulidae.
they were named for their passing resemblence to Actual Deer, but the two groups are not actually closely related at all!
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