With the alias of Small Chevrotain, it belongs to the Tragulidae family of Artiodactyla order. Its scientific name is Tragulus javanicus (Latin), or Lesser Malay Chevrotain (English).
As the smallest animal in Artiodactyls, Lesser Malay Chevrotain is like a rabbit in size, with a body-length of about 47 centimeters and a body weight of only about two kilograms. Both male and female have no horn, but the male has developed bucktooth. Its four limbs are slender, and main hoofs are pointed and narrow. Its larynx has white longitudinal stripes. The belly is white. On its back, leg sides, body sides and other parts directly exposed to sunlight, the hair color is yellowish brown.
Lesser Malay Chevrotainlives in tropical secondary forests, bushes and grass slopes. It frequently moves about in valley bushes and deep tussock, and sometimes also enters farmlands. Very sensitive in grass and bushes and good at hiding, it lives a lonely life and is seldom far away from its habitat. It mainly moves about in the morning and dusk, feeding on tender leaves of plants, culm and berry. It breeds all the year around, with a gestation period of 5 to 6 months, one baby per fetus, once in a while also two babies, and the baby can move about just half an hour after its birth.
Lesser Malay Chevrotainis a deer genus that still retains many primitive characters, and it is of great value in the research of evolutionary biology. It is distributed in Mengla County of southern Yunnan Province, China.
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