Tragulus
| Tragulus | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kleinkantschil ( Tragulus kanchil ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Tragulus | ||||||||||||
| Brisson , 1762 |
Tragulus is a genus of even-toed ungulates in the stag piglet familywith six species that are found in Southeast Asia . They represent the smallest cloven-hoofed animals currently living. Up until the 1990s, a distinction was made between only two species, Großkantschil and Kleinkantschil . The description in this article is largely based on data collected on these two species.
features
The species reach a head-torso length of 40 to 75 cm, a shoulder height of 20 to 35 cm, a tail length of 2.5 to 12.5 cm and a weight of 0.7 to 0.8 kg. The short coat is colored brown on top with varying light and dark shades. It contrasts with the white fur of the abdominal region. In addition, there may be light or white stripes or spots on the throat and chest. The representatives of the genus have neither antlers nor other forehead weapons. In contrast, as in the only distantly related musk deer , canine teeth occur in the lower and upper jaw. The upper canine teeth are elongated to tusks in males and larger than the lower canine teeth in females.
Types and distribution
Mammal Species of the World and IUCN list six species of the genus, according to Colin Peter Groves and Peter Grubb they are structured as follows:
- Tragulus napu group
- The greater mouse-deer ( Tragulus Napu ) lives on the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra and a number of smaller islands.
- The Balabac-Kantschil ( Tragulus nigricans ) is only known from the western Philippine islands of Balabac , Bugsuk and Ramos.
- Tragulus javanicus group
- The Java Kantschil ( Tragulus javanicus ) is endemic to Java . Individual sightings in Bali require confirmation.
- The Kleinkantschil ( Tragulus kanchil ) occurs from southern China to the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo as well as on smaller offshore islands.
- The Thailand Kantschil ( Tragulus williamsoni ) was described on the basis of individuals from northern Thailand . A population in southern China ( Yunnan ) probably belongs to this species.
- Tragulus versicolor group
- The Vietnam Kantschil or Annam-Kantschil ( Tragulus versicolor ) has two smaller populations in southern Vietnam .
Way of life
These deer piglets are nocturnal, they usually stay in the dense undergrowth of forests in the flat or highlands. There they move forward on paths that are reminiscent of tunnels. Crevices in the rock, hollowed-out trees or the dense foliage serve as resting places. The species eat grass, leaves, berries and fruits that lie on the ground.
Depending on the species and population, males and females live alone or in monogamous pairs outside the mating season . Especially males are territorial and mark their territory with the secretion of a gland on the lower jaw. During the heat there can be fights between males for the right to mate, in which they use their long tusks. Some populations can mate all year round, while other populations have fixed mating times. Females are 140 to 177 days pregnant and usually have a young, rarely twins. The female mates again within the next two days. At birth, the young animal weighs around 375 g. As with many cloven-hoofed animals, it flies its nest and can walk after about 30 minutes. The animals are fully grown and sexually mature after about 5 months. Captive individuals can live as long as 16 years and a few months.
status
The IUCN lists Tragulus nigricans as "critically endangered" (Endangered) and Tragulus javanicus , Tragulus versicolor and Tragulus william soni with "lack of data" (Data Deficient) . Großkantschil and Kleinkantschil are considered "not endangered" (Least Concern) .
swell
- Colin Groves and Peter Grubb: Ungulate Taxonomy. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, pp. 1–317 (pp. 56–58)
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 2. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, pp. 1082-1084, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Wilson & Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World . 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Tragulus ).
- Tragulus on the2015 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Erik Meijaard, Marcus AH Chua and JW Duckworth: Is the northern chevrotain, Tragulus williamsoni Kloss, 1916, a synonym or one of the least-documented mammal species in Asia? Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 65, 2017, pp. 506-514
