Today I will be talking about the Lesser Mouse Deer. I hope you enjoy.

The lesser mouse deer is the smallest hoofed mammal in the world.  It is a very shy and secretive forest-dwelling relative of the deer and rarely seen, it is very well known in Southeast Asia. This deer resembles a tiny, rabbit-sized deer that walks on its tiptoes. Adults normally measure about eighteen inches long.  Standing on their thin legs they are a mere twelve inches and weigh about five pounds.

The lesser mouse deer have soft reddish-brown fur marked with a pattern of pale spots or stripes running along the sides of the neck and a pale-colored underside.  Unlike deer, the males have no antlers. They also do sport a pair of canine teeth that can be seen projecting downward from the upper jaw like two tiny tusks. Males make use of their teeth. They use it to defend themselves and their mates against rivals.

The natural habitat is the moist tropical lowland forest regions of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Southern China, Thailand, and Vietnam. Mouse deer feed on fallen fruits, tender shoots, young leaves and fungi found along the ground and in the low, dense vegetation they inhabit. These tiny browsers are crepuscular feeders, meaning that they prefer being active in the dim light of dusk and dawn. In the forest home, mouse deer travel along paths which resemble tunnels of thick vegetation leading to resting places and feeding areas.

Click here to learn more and click here to watch a video about the lesser mouse deer.

I hope you guys enjoyed! Bye!