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Smallest Deer In The World Weighs Just Four Pounds

Smallest Deer In The World Weighs Just Four Pounds

The adorable animal is called Tragulus javanicus lesser mouse-deer

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

This video shows the world's smallest deer that weighs a teeny tiny four pounds:

The adorable animal is known as a tragulus javanicus (sounds pretty intimidating, doesn't it) then the last bit of it's name is 'lesser mouse-deer' - back on brand right there.

They can be found in tropical forest regions of Southeast Asia and they usually live around rocks, hollow trees, and dense vegetation near water.

The footage caught a rare glimpse of the rare Java mouse-deer, the smallest hoofed animal in the world, at Bioparc Fuengirola zoo in the southern Spanish town of Malaga.

The two-week-old deer is the eighth of its kind to be born at the Fuengirola zoo as part of a breeding programme, and weighed around 100 grams (3.5 oz) at birth.

There are currently only 43 Java mouse-deer in Europe, but the rare species is threatened with extinction due to massive deforestation in its home territory.

Creative Commons

A TikTok video, posted by @chris.wo, explains everything someone might want to know about the animal. He says: "Did you know the smallest deer in the world weight four pounds? It's known as a lesser mouse-deer.

"They're not really deer but they belong to their own unique family of mammals. They can grow to 18 inches in length and are about the size of a rabbit.

"Mouse deer are eaten by people and sometimes kept as pets. They can be found in Southeast Asia."

Replying to the video, one person wrote: "I'm sorry how are you eating that?" While someone else asked: "Is that a mutation or a deer and a mouse wtf?"

Creative Commons

According to Animal Diversity, the animals - which live for around 12 years - do not have antlers or horns. Instead, adult males have elongated, tusk-like upper canines which protrude from the side of the mouth. Females lack these canines and are also smaller than the males.

The fur or hair of the mouse deer is brown with an orange tint while their underside is white. There is also a series of white vertical markings on the neck.

The publication also explained how the thin legs are about the diameter of a pencil which is, once again, absolutely adorable. Surprisingly, despite being absolutely tiny, the young can stand within 30 minutes.

*Googles 'where can I get a tragulus javanicus lesser mouse-deer from?'*

Featured Image Credit: Creative Commons

Topics: deer, News, Animals