Black musk deer
| Black musk deer | ||||||||||||
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Preparation of a black musk deer ( musk fuscus ) |
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| Musk fuscus | ||||||||||||
| Li , 1981 |
The black musk deer ( Moschus fuscus ) is a species of musk deer (Moschidae) that is common in the eastern Himalayas . The species is considered endangered.
features
The black musk deer differs from other musk deer in that it is relatively dark in color. The belly is just as dark as the rest of the trunk. However, this is less true of the animals of the Khumbu region , where the belly is usually slightly lighter. The black musk deer sometimes has two pale yellow transverse bands in the upper chest area, but shows no further markings on the throat or throat. Only rarely are traces of yellow spots visible on the body. The neck may be lighter in color than the trunk. The head body length is 73–80 cm, the tail length 4–6 cm, the weight varies between 10 and 15 kg. The legs are longer than those of the Chinese musk deer , Moschus berezovskii , whose distribution area borders to the east.
Distribution area
The distribution area extends over the eastern parts of the Himalayan area . It can be found here in southern Tibet , in the northwest of the Chinese province of Yunnan , in Myanmar , Bhutan and in Sikkim in northeast India. Presumably it also occurs in Arunachal Pradesh . Those musk deer that are found in Nepal in the area of Mount Everest at about 4000 m can also be assigned to this species.
Way of life
Very little is known about the way of life and ecology of this musk deer. It is said to inhabit mountain conifer forests at altitudes between 2200 and 4600 m above sea level. Sometimes it seems to penetrate into alpine zones. The animals feed primarily on grasses, mosses and tender saplings of various plants.
Danger
The species was originally considered a subspecies of the yellow-bellied musk deer ( musk chrysogaster ), but is now mostly regarded as a separate species. She seems to have been rare in all parts of the range and is therefore as endangered (by the IUCN Endangered classified). Like all musk deer, this species is also hunted for musk , a substance that males produce in special glands.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c C. P. Groves (2011). Family Moschidae (Musk-Deer). (P. 347). In: Wilson, DE, Mittermeier, RA, (Eds.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, 2009. ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4
- ↑ Nowak RM: Walker's Mammals of the World . Sixth Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, London, 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- ↑ musk fuscus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: Wang, Y. & Harris, RB, 2008. Accessed on 17 June 2012 found.
