Greater Mouse-deer
Encyclopedia
The Greater mouse-deer, Greater Malay chevrotain or napu (Tragulus napu) is a species of even-toed ungulate
in the Tragulidae family. It is found in Sumatra
, Borneo
and smaller Malaysian and Indonesia
n islands, and in southern Myanmar
, southern Thailand
and peninsular Malaysia. It was thought to be regionally extinct in Singapore
until it was rediscovered on an offshore island in 2008. Reports of its occurrence elsewhere are probably incorrect. Its natural habitat
is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
.
. It weighs 5 to 8 kg (11 to 17.6 lb). Its head-and-body length is 70 to 75 cm (2.3 to 2.5 ft) and its tail length is 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in). Its shoulder height is about 30 to 35 cm (11.8 to 13.8 in) It has a small triangular head with a small pointed black nose and large eyes. It has long legs that are as thin as a pencil. The hind legs are visibly longer than the front legs. The body is rounded. The fur on the upper part of its body is grey-buff to orange-buff. On the sides, the fur is quite pale, but darker along the midline. It is white underneath, especially on the neck, stomach, chest and chin. The male has neither horns nor antlers, but has small "tusks" – elongated canines in the upper jaws.
, Borneo
and smaller Malaysian and Indonesian islands, and in southern Myanmar
, southern Thailand
and peninsular Malaysia. They live near water, in tropical forests and mangrove thickets. They are terrestrial, but spend a lot of time in wet, swampy areas.
Even-toed ungulate
The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in odd-toed ungulates such as horses....
in the Tragulidae family. It is found in Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and smaller Malaysian and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n islands, and in southern Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, southern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and peninsular Malaysia. It was thought to be regionally extinct in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
until it was rediscovered on an offshore island in 2008. Reports of its occurrence elsewhere are probably incorrect. Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
.
Etymology
Tragos is Greek for "goat" and –ulus in Latin means "tiny". Napu is a local name. The name "mouse deer" refers to its small size and does not imply that it is a true deer. It is called "greater" because it is larger than other Tragulus species.Morphology
Although very small for an ungulate, the greater mouse-deer is one of the largest members of its genus. It is rivalled in size by Williamson's Mouse-deerWilliamson's Mouse-deer
Williamson's Mouse-deer is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Tragulidae family. It is found in China and Thailand....
. It weighs 5 to 8 kg (11 to 17.6 lb). Its head-and-body length is 70 to 75 cm (2.3 to 2.5 ft) and its tail length is 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in). Its shoulder height is about 30 to 35 cm (11.8 to 13.8 in) It has a small triangular head with a small pointed black nose and large eyes. It has long legs that are as thin as a pencil. The hind legs are visibly longer than the front legs. The body is rounded. The fur on the upper part of its body is grey-buff to orange-buff. On the sides, the fur is quite pale, but darker along the midline. It is white underneath, especially on the neck, stomach, chest and chin. The male has neither horns nor antlers, but has small "tusks" – elongated canines in the upper jaws.
Distribution
Greater mouse-deer are found in SumatraSumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and smaller Malaysian and Indonesian islands, and in southern Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, southern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and peninsular Malaysia. They live near water, in tropical forests and mangrove thickets. They are terrestrial, but spend a lot of time in wet, swampy areas.