Musk deer are artiodactyls The even-toed ungulates is a paraphyletic taxonomic group that contains many hoofed animals such as pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses, camels, chevrotains , deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle, but excludes whales even though they share a common ancestor. They are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third of the genus Moschus, the only genus of family What does and does not belong to each family is determined by a taxonomist. Similarly for the question if a particular family should be recognized at all. Often there is no exact agreement, with different taxonomists each taking a different position. There are no hard rules that a taxonomist needs to follow in describing or recognizing a family Moschidae. They are more primitive than the cervids Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. They include for example Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital. Male deer of all species but the Chinese Water deer and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year. In this they differ from permanently horned animals such as antelope; these are in the same order as deer and may, or true deer Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. They include for example Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital. Male deer of all species but the Chinese Water deer and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year. In this they differ from permanently horned animals such as antelope; these are in the same order as deer and may, in not having antlers Antlers are the usually large and complex bony appendages on the heads of most deer species, mostly on males; only caribou and reindeer have antlers on the females, and these are normally smaller than those of the males. Nevertheless, fertile does from other species of deer have the capacity to produce antlers on occasion, usually due to increased or facial glands, in having only a single pair of teats, and in possessing a gall bladder In vertebrates the gallbladder is a small organ that aids digestion and stores bile produced by the liver. In humans the loss of the gallbladder is usually easily tolerated, a caudal gland, a pair of tusk-like teeth and—of particular economic importance to humans—a musk Musk is the name originally given to a substance with a penetrating odor obtained from a gland of the male musk deer, which is situated between its back/rectal area. The substance has been used as a popular perfume fixative since ancient times and is one of the most expensive animal products in the world. The name, originated from Sanskrit muṣká gland. Moschids live mainly in forested and alpine scrub habitats in the mountains of southern Asia notably Himalayas.
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Characteristics
Musk deer resemble small deer with a stocky build, and hind legs longer than their front legs. They are approximately 80-100 cm in length, 50-70 cm tall at the shoulder, and weigh between 7 and 17 kg. The feet of musk deer are adapted for climbing in rough terrain. Like the Chinese Water Deer The Water Deer is superficially more similar to a musk deer than a true deer (Cervidae - order Artiodactyla) but it is classified as a cervid despite having tusks (downward-pointing canine teeth) instead of antlers and other anatomical anomalies. These unique characteristics have caused it to be classified in its own genus (Hydropotes) and its own, a cervid, they have no antlers, but the males do have enlarged upper canines, forming sabre-like tusks. The dental formula Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiology of the teeth of an animal is similar to that of true deer:
The musk gland is found only in adult males. It lies in a sac located between the genitals and the umbilicus The navel is a scar on the abdomen, caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby. All placental mammals have a navel. It is fairly conspicuous in humans, 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 mark In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics . Animals that defend territories in this way are referred to as territorial with their caudal glands. Musk deer are generally shy, and either nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by activity during the night and sleeping during the day. The opposite is diurnality. The intermediate crepuscular schedule is also common. Some species are active both in daytime and at night. Living at night can be seen as a form of niche differentiation, where a species' niche is partitioned not, or crepuscular Crepuscular is a term used to describe some animals that are primarily active during twilight, that is at dawn and at dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight." Crepuscular is thus in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright moonlit night. Many.
Males leave their territories during the rutting season, and compete for mates, using their tusks as weapons. 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 life, a feature that helps them remain hidden from predators.[1]
Evolution
Reconstruction of the extinct genus MicromeryxMusk deer may be a surviving representative of the Palaeomerycidae Palaeomerycidae is a family of ruminants that is probably ancestral to the deers, and the musk deers might be a surviving representative of the group, though they are still grouped in a separate family. They first appeared in the early Oligocene epoch and disappeared in the Pliocene. Most species lacked antlers, though some were found in later, a family of ruminants that is probably ancestral to deer Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. They include for example Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital. Male deer of all species but the Chinese Water deer and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year. In this they differ from permanently horned animals such as antelope; these are in the same order as deer and may. They first appeared in the early Oligocene epoch and disappeared in the Pliocene. Most species lacked antlers, though some were found in later species. The musk deer are however still placed in a separate family.
References
- ^ Frädrich, Hans (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 518–519. ISBN The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 0-87196-871-1.
