Musk deer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Musk deer |
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| Moschus moschiferus | |
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Moschidae
(Gray, 1821)
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| Genus: |
Moschus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
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Musk deer are a special group of mammals. They have hooves and an even number of toes, just like deer. They belong to the family called Moschidae. There are four different species of musk deer, and they all look quite similar.
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What Musk Deer Look Like
Musk deer are fairly small animals. They are about 90 centimeters long and stand about 60 centimeters tall. Their tail is very short, only 4 to 6 centimeters long. These deer usually weigh around 10 kilograms.
Most musk deer have dark brown fur. Male musk deer are special because they have long upper canine teeth. These teeth are like tusks and can grow up to 7 cm long! Unlike true deer, musk deer do not have antlers. Male musk deer also have a special musk gland on their belly.
Where Musk Deer Live
Musk deer live in the high mountain forests of Asia. You can find them in countries like Russia, China, and the Korean Peninsula. They prefer to live in dense forests, usually at heights of 2500 to 3500 meters above sea level.
How Musk Deer Live
Musk deer are mostly active at night, which means they are nocturnal. They are herbivores, meaning they eat plants. Their diet includes grass and moss. In winter, when food is harder to find, they also eat twigs and lichen.
Musk deer are usually solitary animals. This means they live alone and only come together when it's time to mate. If two male musk deer meet, they might fight. They can use their long, tusk-like teeth to hurt each other during these fights.
When a female musk deer gives birth, she usually has 1 or 2 babies. A baby musk deer has spots on its fur, which helps it blend in with its surroundings.
Musk Deer and People
Male musk deer have a special gland that produces a strong-smelling substance called musk. This musk has been used for a long time to make perfumes and soap. It is also used in Traditional Chinese medicine. One musk gland can hold about 25 to 30 grams of musk.
Because of the value of musk, these deer have been hunted a lot in the past. This hunting has caused the number of musk deer to drop, and some species are now endangered.
To help protect them, people have tried different ways to get musk without harming the deer. One way is to catch a living musk deer, carefully take some of its musk, and then let it go free. However, this method takes a lot of time and effort, so it's not used very often. There are also special musk deer farms where the deer are raised to collect musk.
Images for kids
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Skull of a buck showing the trademark teeth
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Skeleton of Micromeryx showing the general skeletal features
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Dwarf musk deer
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Black musk deer
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Alpine musk deer
See also
In Spanish: Ciervo almizclero para niños
