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Musk deer are artiodactyls of the genus Moschus, the only genus of family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 Moschidae. They are more primitive than the cervids, or true deer, in not having antler
Antler

Antlers are the usually large and complex horn -like appendages of most deer species, mostly worn by males in true horns. Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle....
s or facial glands, in having only a single pair of teats, and in possessing a gall bladder, a caudal gland, a pair of tusk-like teeth and—of particular economic importance to humans—a musk
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 stomach and genitals....
 gland. Moschids live mainly in forested and alpine scrub habitats in the mountains of southern Asia.

deer resemble small deer with a stocky build, and hind legs longer than their front legs.






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Musk deer are artiodactyls of the genus Moschus, the only genus of family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 Moschidae. They are more primitive than the cervids, or true deer, in not having antler
Antler

Antlers are the usually large and complex horn -like appendages of most deer species, mostly worn by males in true horns. Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle....
s or facial glands, in having only a single pair of teats, and in possessing a gall bladder, a caudal gland, a pair of tusk-like teeth and—of particular economic importance to humans—a musk
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 stomach and genitals....
 gland. Moschids live mainly in forested and alpine scrub habitats in the mountains of southern Asia.

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, a cervid, they have no antlers, but the males do have enlarged upper canines, forming sabre-like tusks. The dental formula
Dentition

Dentition is the tooth development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth.All mammals except the monotremes, the xenarthrans, the pangolins, and the cetaceans have up to four distinct types of teeth, with a maximum number for each....
 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
Sex organ

A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined, is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in a complex organism; in mammals, these include:...
 and the umbilicus
Navel

The navel is a scar on the abdomen, caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby. All Placentalia 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 with their caudal glands. Musk deer are generally shy, and either nocturnal, or crepuscular
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"....
.

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.

Evolution


The musk deers might be a surviving representative of the Palaeomerycidae
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....
, a family of ruminants that is probably ancestral to deer
Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related families within the order even-toed ungulate are often also called deer....
s. 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 deers are however still placed in a separate family.

External links

  • Guha S, Goyal SP, Kashyap VK. (2007). Molecular phylogeny of musk deer(KASTURI MIRG): A genomic view with mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome b gene.Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2007 Mar;42(3):585-97.PMID: 17158073.


  • Hassanin A, Douzery EJ.(2003. Molecular and morphological phylogenies of ruminantia and the alternative position of the moschidae. Syst Biol. 2003 Apr;52(2):206-28. PMID: 12746147.


  • The New Student's Reference Work/Musk-Deer