Dept. of Sericulture, Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Tirupati-A.P
Online published on 19 April, 2019.
Mouse deer are graceful and look somewhat like large rodents also known as chevrotains. Mouse deer (Tragulus spp. An Hyemoschus aquaticus) are among the smallest ruminants known. The lesser mouse deer of Southeast Asia is probably the smallest an adult stands only 20cm high and weighs a mere 1–2.5 kg.
Within India, the Indian chevrotain is commonly encountered in a number of forest areas along the Western Ghats, in the Eastern Ghats up to Orissa, and in the forests of central India. The Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve at the extreme south of the Western Ghats appears to be one of the best localities for the species and may represent a major population stronghold.
The species may also be frequently met with in most other protected areas along the Western Ghats such as the Periyar Tiger Reserve, Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Silent Valley, Mudumalai-Bandipur-Nagarahole, Bhadra, and Kudremukh. Krishnan (1972) noted that the species is seen almost commonly around Karwar and in some forests of the Simlipal hills of Orissa in the east. Along the Eastern Ghats populations of mouse deer occur in the forest tracts along the Nallamal hills and Srisailam Nagarjuna Sagar and also in in Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Twenty-five million years ago, early forms of mouse deer existed throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. Today's species are restricted to tropical forests and mangrove thickets of Southeast Asia and Central Africa.
