The little deer is the smallest artiodactyl animal in the world. The smallest artiodactyl in the world The most noisy and timid artiodactyl mammal of a small
In the forests of Southeast Asia, scientists observed the rarest inhabitant of our planet - the mouse deer. It is the smallest artiodactyl animal on the planet. An adult grows no more than 50 centimeters in height and weighs about 2.5 kilograms.
At the same time, zoologists managed to take unique shots and capture such a rare animal on video. The photographed individual turned out to be still very young; its size does not exceed a small rodent. Typically, mouse deer grow up to 50 cm and weigh 2.5 kg.
The smallest artiodactyl in the world leads a solitary lifestyle, and seeing it in natural conditions, much less filming it, is considered a great success, researchers note.
The mouse deer, canchil or Chevrotain is a mammal from the deer family, which consists of three genera. The smallest artiodactyl on the planet. It lives in tropical rainforests of Central Africa, India and Southeast Asia.
This small deer has a length from 45 to 55 cm, the height of the animal at the withers does not exceed 20-25 cm. A mouse deer weighs from 1.5 to 2.5 kg.
It is noteworthy that mouse deer are included in the order of artiodactyls along with... hippopotamuses, pigs, deer, antelopes, camels, sheep and goats. Their small size remarkably helps them move in dense thickets, tropical forests, and not get dirty in swampy soil and forest litter.
These miniature deer do not have antlers, but they do have long, dagger-like, sharp fangs that protrude from the males' mouths like tusks. Males regularly use this weapon in the fight against rivals. The arched body of the deer is supported by pencil-thin legs, and its twelve-centimeter-long tongue easily reaches the eyes. The animal has a tail about 5 cm long. The muzzle is pointed, the black nose is hairless, the eyes are very large - they help the kanchilas navigate in the dark forest. Despite their legs with hooves, mouse deer can even climb a tree if necessary. If the animals are in danger, they sometimes seek salvation in the water. Deer are excellent swimmers and can walk along the bottom without sticking out.
These are very shy, secretive, nocturnal animals that lead a solitary lifestyle. Only for a moment can you see the kanchila in the dense bush. When pursued, it hides, and when captured, it bites. It is characteristic that mouse deer are very territorial animals, and each individual has sole ownership, although not a large one - up to 13 hectares for males and approximately 8.5 hectares for females - but a permanent plot of forest. This is exactly how much these babies need to feel comfortable. Tiny deer carefully mark their territory using urine, dirt and secretions. The fight for territory between males is carried out using long fangs.
During the day, kanchili hide in a wide variety of places and can sleep in rock crevices or hollow tree trunks. At night they go in search of food, creating tunnel-like paths in the thicket. They eat everything that comes their way, from leaves of tropical plants, mushrooms, fruits and seeds, to beetles, frogs, fish and carrion. Moreover, these deer actively hunt for fish in small stakes, streams and rivulets.
Kanchili are monogamous. After a gestation period of approximately 140 days, the female gives birth to one, rarely two, cubs, which are fed by an udder with four teats. Within 30 minutes after its birth, the cub gets on its feet. And a few hours after the birth of the cubs, the females mate again - we can say that they spend almost their entire lives in a state of pregnancy. The average lifespan of mouse deer is 12 years.
It should be noted that these animals are hunted by local residents for their meat. Kanchili are also easily tamed and are sometimes kept as pets. In Southeast Asian folklore, deer are depicted as cunning animals.
The main threat to these animals is considered to be the increasing uprooting of forests.
A tiny raccoon - of course, you've heard... But a tiny deer... Perhaps you need to look through zoology or watch "In the Animal World". Or you can read... here... about little incredibly interesting and amazing little deer. Meet the Javanese kanchil... yes, yes, there are such miniature ungulates.
Small deer do not have branched antlers, but they do have impressive fangs, based on the size of the animal. The growth of the Javan kanchile, the smallest representatives of artiodactyls, found in Southeast Asia, on the islands of Kalimantan, Java and Sumatra, in India and Ceylon from 20 cm (the smallest) - small kanchile to 80 cm (the largest) - African water kanchile . Weight ranges from 1.5 kg to 5-8 kg, respectively. From the mouse, the kanchili got grayish-brown fur with an orange tint, a secretive nocturnal lifestyle and omnivorous behavior. Their small size helps them move well in dense thickets and not “drown” in the swampy soil of the tropical forest.
Kanchili usually give birth to two young and are very territorial, i.e. are permanent “owners” of about 10 hectares of space. During the day, deer hide and sleep, and hunt at dusk and at night. The promiscuity of kanchilas in food comes down to the fact that they eat not only vegetation - mushrooms, fruits, leaves, but also small animals, from beetles to frogs and fish, which are excellently hunted in small stakes. One of the species, the African water kanchile, can even be called an “amphibious mammal”; it spends almost all its time in the water, here it hunts, escapes from predators and swims beautifully. And also... mouse deer eat... carrion. There are only 5 species of these interesting animals on the planet. And in Malay folklore, the kanchili plays the role of a cunning animal, like the Slavs - the fox.
The fauna of our planet is very diverse. It often contains very unusual and amazing animals, one of which we would like to tell you about today. Meet the small deer, also known as the Javan small deer, a representative of the fauna of the tropical forests.
The height of an adult individual of this animal reaches 20-25 cm, and its weight is only 1.5 kg. The most well-fed ones can reach 2.5 kg of weight.
Like all representatives of the deer family, kanchili do not have horns, but they do have huge fangs - so huge that they protrude from their mouths like tusks. These amazing animals are soft and fluffy, their gray-brown fur often has an orange tint. Kanchil is the smallest representative of the artiodactyl order.
The habitat of the small deer is Southeast Asia: from southern China to the islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Java. Most often they live near bodies of water, in forest areas with dense undergrowth. These very shy, extremely territorial animals lead a solitary, nocturnal lifestyle. The area of the male's territory is usually about 12 hectares, the female's - about 8.5 hectares.
Being primarily herbivores, kanchili also feed on insects. If necessary, they can climb a tree, and when danger appears, they hide in the water: they can not only swim well, but also walk along the bottom without sticking their head out for a long time.
Hooves are derived from the skin at the end of the toes. These horny formations correspond to human nails. Animals classified in this order have an odd number of toes surrounded by a hoof. All of them are large mammals.
The equine, tapir, and rhinoceroses families are classified as odd-toed ungulates. Horses have 1 toe, rhinoceroses -
Tapirs are recognized as odd-toed ungulates only due to their hind (three-toed) legs. Their forelimbs are equipped with 4 fingers.
- The horse's grin, which resembles a wide smile, is actually an auxiliary olfactory action. By bending their upper lip, these animals direct air filled with a certain smell to the end of the nasal canal. There are receptor glands there. Horses sniff this way more often than mares.
- Horses cannot focus their eyes like humans. The upper part of the retina is designed to see objects near, and the lower part far away. If a horse wants to look at an object located at some distance, it raises its head.
- Horses see colourful dreams.
- Their hooves are made of a special protein called keratin. Therefore, with heavy physical activity, such formations wear out.
- A horseshoe, like a running shoe, improves the shock absorption and traction of the hoof when running.
- Horses have good memory. They can remember the person they liked after seeing him after a long break.
- California Governor Leland Stanford bet that at some point during a run, all 4 legs of a horse could be in the air. To prove his assumption, he enlisted the help of photographer Eadweard Muybridge, who was the first to use a special technique for taking photographs.
- In 1877, capturing a fleeting moment was extremely difficult. Therefore, Muybridge placed 12 cameras in a row, each of which was triggered immediately after the previous one.
- Threads were stretched to the shutters of the devices, crossing the treadmill. Thus, a corresponding number of different stages of gallop were captured on film. Stanford confirmed his theory, and the new technique led to the creation of an animated film of 24 frames.
- Donkeys were domesticated in Egypt (where they originated), even earlier than the horse.
- Asian donkeys (kulans) could not be domesticated.
- They come in black, grey, brown and white colors.
- The tallest donkeys are considered to be the Poitou breed, growing up to 155 cm.
- Donkeys are very hardworking. Their working day can be 8-10 hours with one lunch break.
- As a result of crossing these animals with horses, mules were developed whose hooves do not need to be shoed.
- If you intend to use a donkey as a means of transport, drive it with great care. If you fall from it, there is a greater risk of breaking your neck than in a similar situation with a horse.
Artiodactyls ( Artiodactyla) are the most diverse, large, terrestrial living today. It is the fifth largest, consisting of 10 families, 80 genera and approximately 210 species. Although most artiodactyls live in relatively open environments, they can be found in a wide variety of environments and on every continent except Antarctica, Australia and Oceania. As you would expect in such a diverse group, there are animals with a wide range of body shapes and weights. Body weight ranges from 1 kg (Asian deer) to 4000 kg (). The height of the animals varies from 23 cm (Asian deer) to 5 m ().
Classification
Artiodactyls are divided into 3 suborders:
- Non-ruminant or porcine ( Suina) includes 3 living families: peccaries, hippopotamuses and pigs, as well as two extinct ones - anthracotheriums and entelodonts. These animals are distinguished by a simple digestive system and weak specialization. They have rounded teeth and tusk-like fangs.
- (Ruminantia) include the families of deer, deer, giraffidae, pronghorn, musk deer and bovids, as well as a number of extinct families. Unlike non-ruminant animals, representatives of this order have a complex digestive system. They lack upper incisors, but ruminants have a dense callosum.
- Callosefoot ( Tylopoda) contain one living family of camelids. Modern callosopods have a 3-chambered stomach. They have two-fingered limbs, with blunt, curved claws. The feet of these animals have soft, calloused growths, thanks to which representatives of this order got their name.
Note: if we classify artiodactyls from the point of view of phylogeny, then they should be considered along with. These two orders form the superorder Cetaceans. (Cetartiodactyla).
Evolution
Like many mammals, artiodactyls first appeared during the early. In appearance, they were more similar to today's deer: small, short-legged animals that fed on leaves and soft parts of plants. By the late Eocene, the ancestors of three modern suborders had already appeared. However, at that time, artiodactyls were far from being modern, but were much more successful and numerous. Artiodactyls occupied minor ecological niches, and it appears that at this time they began to develop their complex digestive systems, which allowed them to survive by digesting low-quality food.
The appearance of grass during the Eocene and its subsequent spread during the Eocene marked major changes: grass was very difficult to eat, and artiodactyls with well-developed stomachs were better adapted to this roughage and soon replaced equids, the dominant terrestrial herbivores.
It was discovered that cetaceans evolved from artiodactyls, and the early whale from 47 million Eocene sediments had a double ankle joint. Some taxonomies place cetaceans and artiodactyls in the superorder Cetartiodactyla as sister orders, although DNA analysis has shown that cetaceans are from artiodactyls.
The most recent theory in the origins of hippopotamuses suggests that hippos and whales share a common semi-aquatic ancestor that diverged from other artiodactyls about 60 million years ago. The group of hypothetical ancestors probably split into two branches about 54 million years ago. One branch evolved into cetaceans, possibly starting with the proto-whale Pakicetus from 52 million years ago and other ancestors of early whales known as archaeocetes, which eventually underwent aquatic adaptation and became fully aquatic cetaceans.
Description
All artiodactyls have an even number of developed toes on each foot (although there is conflicting information about the number of toes on the hind feet of several species of the peccary family). The symmetry of the foot runs between the middle two toes and the weight of the animal is transferred most of all to them. The other toes are reduced in size, vestigial, or absent.
Another important characteristic is the shape of the astragalus. The astragalus is the ankle bone in the hind limb. It has deep arched grooves, and connects to the limb bones on both sides. These grooves give the leg greater flexibility and further increase the elasticity of the lower part of the hind limb.
Artiodactyls vary greatly in appearance: some have very long necks, while others have short ones; some have elongated muzzles, while others have short muzzles, etc. Female artiodactyls have two to four teats, but members of the pig family have six to twelve teats.
Almost all species have some kind of weapon, be it branched horns, forked horns or well-developed fangs or tusks. They are usually large in males and small or absent in females. The tail consists of longer, stronger guard hairs and shorter undercoat.
Digestive system
Artiodactyls have one or more digestive chambers located in front of the glandular stomach (abomasum). Most members of the suborder Ruminants ( Ruminantia) have a four-chamber stomach, consisting of such sections as: rumen, mesh, book and abomasum. This suborder includes ruminant mammals such as cattle, goats, sheep, giraffes, American bison, European bison, yaks, Asiatic buffalo, deer, etc.
Nevertheless, deer (family Tragulidae) within the suborder Ruminantia Ruminantia have a three-chamber stomach. Likewise, members of the suborder Callosopods Tylopoda(camels, alpacas, llamas) have a three-chambered stomach.
Note: all of these animals are still considered "ruminants", although camels are not included in the suborder Ruminantia. This is because the term ruminant simply means any artiodactyl that digests food in two stages, first softening it in the first stomach, known as the rumen, then regurgitating the semi-digested mass, now known as the cud, and chewing it again. Therefore, the term "ruminant" is not synonymous Ruminantia.
Pigs and peccaries have only one small chamber in front of the abomasum, while hippopotamuses have two. While hippos have a three-chambered stomach, they do not “chew the cud.” Hippos consume grass during the night and during this time they eat about 68 kg. They depend on microorganisms that process rough fiber in their stomach.
Most species of pigs have a simple two-chambered stomach that allows for an omnivorous diet; babirussa, however, is a herbivore. They have extra teeth to ensure proper chewing of plant material. Most fermentation occurs in the cecum with the help of cellulolytic microorganisms.
Habitat
Since artiodactyls are a fairly diverse order, they are distributed throughout the world. Consequently, these animals live in a wide range of habitats and can be found where sufficient food exists. Although these animals are common from to and to, the preferred ones are:
- open: they provide artiodactyls with an abundant amount of food, and also allow them to spot predators at a long distance.
- pastures or meadows near steep cliffs: provide food for animals and provide relatively safe shelter in rocks and steep terrain.
- and shrubs: contain an abundance of food and offer cover from potential predators in dense vegetation.
- ecotone: is an area between open areas and forests. While open areas provide abundant food, adjacent forests provide good cover from potential predators.
Preference for particular habitats is often related to the body size and taxonomy of artiodactyls. For example, most species of goats and sheep ( Caprinae) are found in open habitats adjacent to rocky cliffs, where they have adapted to move around uneven terrain.
Reproduction
Most artiodactyls have a polygynous reproductive system, although some species are seasonally monogamous (for example, the blue duiker). Artiodactyls usually breed only once a year, although some of them can breed several times. The gestation period varies from 4 to 15.5 months. In addition to pigs, which can give birth to up to 12 young at a time, other artiodactyls give birth to up to two young, once a year. The weight of artiodactyls at birth can vary from 0.5 to 80 kg. Puberty occurs between 6 and 60 months of age. The cubs of all artiodactyls are able to walk independently within a few hours after birth, and some are already running after 2-3 hours. Females care for their offspring and feed them with their milk for 2-12 months after birth.
Lifespan
The lifespan of artiodactyls varies between 8-40 years. A large number of studies have shown that the survival rate of adult males is lower than that of females. These rates are thought to be the result of increased polygyny, which leads to increased competition between males. Research also shows that aging-related mortality begins before about age eight for some species of artiodactyls, regardless of sex.
Behavior
The social behavior of artiodactyls varies depending on the species. Although some artiodactyls are solitary, most are quite social. It is believed that even-toed ungulates that live in large groups eat more vegetation because they do not have to constantly scan the area and watch for approaching predators. However, if the group size increases sufficiently, competition within the same species may occur.
Species living in groups often have a hierarchy among both males and females. Some species also live in harem groups, with one male, several females and their shared offspring. In other species, females and young remain together while males are solitary or live in bachelor groups, seeking females only during mating season.
Many artiodactyls are territorial and mark their territory, for example, with specialized glands, feces or urine. There are species that migrate seasonally, while others remain in the same habitat throughout the year. Artiodactyls can be diurnal, crepuscular, or nocturnal. In some species, the period of wakefulness varies depending on the season or habitat.
Meaning for humans
Artiodactyls have great historical and current economic and cultural value. They served as large game for early hunters. The Cro-Magnons relied heavily on deer for food, hide, tools and weapons. About 12,500 years ago, deer remains made up 94% of the bones and teeth discovered in a cave above the Seu River in France.
Today, many artiodactyl species are still hunted for food and sport (deer, antelope, African buffalo, wild sheep, etc.). In addition, the most important domestic animals are artiodactyls, including cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and camels. Sheep and goats were probably the first animals to be domesticated since dogs, perhaps 8,000 to 9,000 years ago. Livestock farming is now the backbone of a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide. Artiodactyls, both wild and domesticated, are used by people for meat, fur, milk, fertilizers, medicines, bones, etc.