Chevrotain

Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are tiny even-toed ungulates that belong to the family Tragulidae. They are the only living members of the infraorder Tragulina. There are 10 living species, found in the forests of South and Southeast Asia, with one species, the water chevrotain, living in the rainforests of Central and West Africa. In November 2019, scientists were excited to photograph silver-backed chevrotains in a Vietnamese forest for the first time since they were last seen in 1990.

These animals are very small, with the Java mouse-deer being the smallest hoofed mammal in the world. Asian chevrotains weigh between 1–4 kg (2–9 lb), while the African chevrotain is larger, weighing 7–16 kg (15–35 lb). They usually live alone or in small groups and eat mostly plants. Even though they are called "mouse-deer," they are not closely related to true deer.

Etymology

The word "chevrotain" comes from a French word meaning "kid" or "fawn," which itself comes from the word for "goat."

In Africa, the animal is always called "chevrotain." In Asia, it is sometimes called "chevrotain" and sometimes "mouse-deer," depending on the group it belongs to. The animals with pale spots or stripes are usually called "chevrotain," while those without are called "mouse-deer."

Different languages have their own special names for these animals. For example, in Telugu, a language spoken in India, the Indian spotted chevrotain is called jarini pandi, meaning "a deer and a pig." In Tamil, another Indian language, it is called சருகு மான் sarukumāṉ, which means "leaf-pile deer." In Sinhala, a language from Sri Lanka, it is called meeminna, meaning "mouse-like deer."

Biology

Chevrotains have stayed almost the same for millions of years, showing us what ancient plant-eating animals were like. They have four-chambered stomachs to help digest tough plants, but their third stomach chamber is small. Unlike many other even-toed animals, they do not have a special cooling system in their heads to stay cool in hot weather.

Most chevrotains only eat plants, but the water chevrotain sometimes eats small creatures or finds bits of meat and fish. They do not have upper front teeth called incisors, and they usually have only one baby at a time.

Chevrotains have some features like pigs, such as four toes on each foot and sharp teeth in their lower jaws, especially in males. Their legs are short and thin, which makes them slow but helps them move quietly through thick forests. They do not have antlers or horns. They live alone or in pairs, and their young are ready to explore the world in just a few months. They use special glands to leave marks and show who belongs where.

Some chevrotains enjoy being in water for long periods, which helps them hide from danger. This behavior gives clues about how whales might have evolved from animals that liked to spend time in water.

Taxonomy

The chevrotain family, called Tragulidae, is part of the larger group of even-toed ungulates. Traditionally, scientists thought there were only four kinds of chevrotains alive today. But in the early 2000s, they learned there were actually ten different species.

These ten species are grouped into three groups, or genera. One group has just the water chevrotain, which lives in Africa. Another group has three species, including the Indian spotted chevrotain and the Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain. The third group has the most species, including the Java mouse-deer, the lesser mouse-deer, and several others found across Asia.

Extinct chevrotains

The Hypertragulidae were closely related to the Tragulidae.

The six extinct chevrotain genera include:

• Genus Dorcatherium
  • Dorcatherium minus from Pakistan
  • Dorcatherium majus from Pakistan
  • Dorcatherium naui, from Central Europe
• Genus Dorcabune
  • Dorcabune anthracotherioides from Pakistan
  • Dorcabune nagrii from Pakistan
• Genus Afrotragulus Sánchez, Quiralte, Morales and Pickford, 2010
  • 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
  • Archaeotragulus krabiensis Metais, Chaimanee, Jaeger and Ducrocq, 2001 (late Eocene) from Krabi, Thailand

The extinct chevrotains might also include

• Genus Krabitherium
  • Krabitherium waileki Metais, Chaimanee, Jaeger and Ducrocq, 2007 (late Eocene) from Krabi, Thailand
• Genus Nalameryx
  • Nalameryx savagei
  • Nalameryx sulaimani

Mythology

According to the Malay Annals, a king named Parameswara was looking for a place to build a new city. He arrived at a spot where he saw a small mouse-deer, called kancil in Malay, kicking his hunting dog into the river. He felt this was a good sign and decided to build his kingdom there, which became the Malacca Sultanate with Malacca as its capital. In honor of this story, the coat of arms of Malacca shows two mouse-deer.

In Malay folklore, the mouse-deer, also known as Sang Kancil, is a famous clever character known for its tricky ways.