| Water Chevrotain | ||||||||||||||
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| Hyemoschus aquaticus Ogilby 1841 |
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The water chevrotain (Hyemoschus aquaticus), also known as the fanged deer, is a small ruminant found in tropical Africa. William Ogilby (1808 &ndash 1873 was an Irish Barrister and naturalist. The biological suborder Ruminantia includes many of the well-known large grazing or browsing Mammals among them Cattle, goats Sheep, Deer It is the largest of the four species of chevrotains, evolutionarily primitive even-toed ungulates which are similar to deer but are barely larger than small dogs. "Kancil" redirects here For the car see Perodua Kancil Not to be confused with Kanchil (Lesser Mouse Deer Not to be confused The even-toed ungulates form the Mammal order Artiodactyla. They are Ungulates whose weight is borne (if they have more than two toes about A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. The water chevrotain is found mostly in coastal West Africa and the rainforests of central Africa.
The water chevrotain has a stocky, rounded body, thin legs with hooves, and a mouselike head. The male has tusks, which give the species the appellation "fanged deer". A tusk is an extremely long Incisor Tooth of certain Mammals that protrudes when the Mouth is closed As its other common name suggests, the water chevrotain is a good swimmer and can dive underwater. Its nostrils are slits which it can squeeze shut to keep water out. It will never stray far from a water source, and it will retreat to water and jump in when threatened. It has a reddish brown coat with white stripes and spots. Adults average 10-12 kilograms and up to 80 centimeters in length.
Chevrotains are true ruminants, feeding mostly on a diet of plants, especially fruit. The water chevrotain is nocturnal and mainly solitary. Males' territories overlap those of females, but the males are rarely aggressive toward each other. While they do occasionally fight, using their tusks as weapons, they apparently prefer to avoid each other and keep to themselves. An estrous female will mate with the male with whom she shares a home range, and then gives birth to one precocial fawn.
The water chevrotain is a vulnerable species due to two main forces. Its tropical rainforest habitat is being rapidly consumed by humans, and the animals themselves are hunted for bushmeat. Bushmeat ( Calque from the French viande de brousse) is the term commonly used for Meat of terrestrial wild animals killed for
References
- ^ Deer Specialist Group 2000 (2006). Hyemoschus aquaticus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 30 June 2007. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
External links
- Hyemoschus aquaticus Edwards, H. 2000. Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 19, 2006.
- Ungulate Fact Sheet
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