3/14/2024 0 Comments Pthc siberian mouse hd 94![]() Some of the species show a remarkable affinity with water, often remaining submerged for prolonged periods to evade predators or other unwelcome intrusions. Their territories are relatively small, on the order of 13–24 hectares (32–59 acres), but neighbors generally ignore each other, rather than compete aggressively. Although they lack the types of scent glands found in most other ruminants, they do possess a chin gland for marking each other as mates or antagonists, and, in the case of the water chevrotain, anal and preputial glands for marking territory. The young are weaned at three months of age, and reach sexual maturity between 5 and 10 months, depending on species. Other pig-like features include the presence of four toes on each foot, the absence of facial scent glands, premolars with sharp crowns, and the form of their sexual behaviour and copulation. ![]() Their legs are short and thin, which leave them lacking in agility, but also helps to maintain a smaller profile to aid in running through the dense foliage of their environments. These are especially prominent in males, where they project out on either side of the lower jaw, and are used in fights. All species in the family lack antlers and horns, but both sexes have elongated canine teeth. In other respects, however, they have primitive features, closer to nonruminants such as pigs. Like other ruminants, they lack upper incisors. Though most species feed exclusively on plant material, the water chevrotain occasionally takes insects and crabs or scavenges meat and fish. Unlike other artiodactyls, they lack an carotid rete, and so cannot heat exchange cool blood entering their brains, a thermoregulatory innoviation that allows other artiodactyls to exploit hot arid habitats. They have four-chambered stomachs to ferment tough plant foods, but the third chamber is poorly developed. The family was widespread and successful from the Oligocene (34 million years ago) through the Miocene (about 5 million years ago), but has remained almost unchanged over that time and remains as an example of primitive ruminant form. This was used in the scientific name of the Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain, M. meminna. The Sinhala name meeminna roughly translates to "mouse-like deer". The Tamil term is சருகு மான் sarukumāṉ "leaf-pile deer". In Kannada, it is called barka (ಬರ್ಕ), in Malayalam, it is called കൂരമാൻ kūramān, and the Konkani name for it is barinka. The Telugu name for the Indian spotted chevrotain is jarini pandi, which literally means "a deer and a pig". Consequently, all species with pale-spotted or -striped upper parts are known as "chevrotain" and without are known as "mouse-deer". The names "chevrotain" and "mouse-deer" have been used interchangeably among the Asian species, though recent authorities typically have preferred chevrotain for the species in the genus Moschiola and mouse-deer for the species in the genus Tragulus. The single African species is consistently known as "chevrotain". The word "chevrotain" comes from the Middle French word chevrot (kid or fawn), derived from chèvre (goat). In November 2019, conservation scientists announced that they had photographed silver-backed chevrotains ( Tragulus versicolor) in a Vietnamese forest for the first time since the last confirmed sightings in 1990. Despite their common name of "mouse deer", they are not closely related to true deer. With an average length of 45 cm (18 in) and an average height of 30 cm (12 in), the Java mouse-deer is the smallest surviving ungulate (hoofed) mammal, as well as the smallest artiodactyl (even-toed ungulate). ![]() The Asian species weigh between 0.7 and 8.0 kg ( 1 + 1⁄ 2 and 17 + 3⁄ 4 lb), while the African chevrotain is considerably larger, at 7–16 kg (15–35 lb). Chevrotains are the smallest hoofed mammals in the world. They are solitary, or live in loose groupings or pairs, and feed almost exclusively on plant material. The extant species are found in forests in South and Southeast Asia a single species, the water chevrotain, is found in the rainforests of Central and West Africa. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are known only from fossils. Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are diminutive, even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, and are the only living members of the infraorder Tragulina. ![]()
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