Vietnam Mouse-deer
Encyclopedia
The Vietnam Mouse-deer (Tragulus versicolor), also known as the Silver-backed chevrotain, is a species of even-toed ungulate
in the Tragulidae family that at present only is known from Vietnam
. Until 2004, it was generally treated as a subspecies
of the Greater Mouse-deer
(T. napu), though it more closely resembles the Lesser Mouse-deer
(T. kanchil). Recent records of this very poorly known species are missing, but this is more likely due to the difficulty involved in separating it from other mouse-deer
and the general absence of field work within its presumed range than it being extinct.
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 that at present only is known from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Until 2004, it was generally treated as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Greater Mouse-deer
Greater Mouse-deer
The Greater mouse-deer, Greater Malay chevrotain or napu is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Tragulidae family. It is found in Sumatra, Borneo and smaller Malaysian and Indonesian islands, and in southern Myanmar, southern Thailand and peninsular Malaysia...
(T. napu), though it more closely resembles the Lesser Mouse-deer
Lesser Mouse-deer
The Lesser Mouse-deer or Kanchil , also known as the Lesser Malay Chevrotain, is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Tragulidae family...
(T. kanchil). Recent records of this very poorly known species are missing, but this is more likely due to the difficulty involved in separating it from other mouse-deer
Tragulus
Tragulus is a genus of even-toed ungulates in the Tragulidae family that are known as mouse-deer. Tragos refers to a goat in Greek, while –ulus in Latin means 'tiny'. With a weight of and a length of they are the smallest ungulates in the world, though the largest species of mouse-deer surpass...
and the general absence of field work within its presumed range than it being extinct.