Saturday 19 August 2017

SATURDAY CRITTERS - Amsterdam Zoo

The Java Mouse Deer (Tragulus javanicus) is a species of even-toed ungulate from the family Tragulidae. At maturity it reaches the size of a rabbit, making it one of the smallest ungulates on earth.  I am linking to Saturday Critters.


Although called a deer, they do not grow antlers. Both sexes have elongated canine teeth, but they are especially prominent in males, where they project out on either side of the lower jaw. These teeth become effective weapons for the males in fights over females. The Asian species typically weigh between 1.5 and 17.6 lbs (0.7 and 8.0 kg).


Java Mouse Deer are primarily herbivores. Their diet consists primarily of that which is found on the ground in the dense vegetation they prefer to inhabit.

Mouse Deer are timid and solitary, but they often live in pairs. The young fawns are weaned at about three months of age and reach sexual maturity between five and ten months.


Mouse Deer are native to forests of South and Southeast Asia, with a single species in the rain forests of Central and West Africa. The species residing at Artis is native to the Indonesian island of Java. Although other Mouse Deer in Southeast Asia are very similar to the Javan species, researchers determined there are enough differentials to consider the Java Mouse Deer a completely separate species.

I hope you found that as fascinating as me.  Many thanks for visiting and also for leaving comments.

14 comments:

  1. Fascinating for sure! We watch all the animal and nature shows, but I have never seen this creature. I have never heard of him either! Very strange looking!!

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  2. They are fascinating, but that is a HUGE weight range.

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  3. Well that's a new one on me... thanks for sharing it with us!

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  4. Hello Margaret, this is a fascinating little critter. I have never heard of it before. It looks tiny and does not weigh much. Great photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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  5. They are pretty!
    Have a great week-end!

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  6. Once again you have introduced us to a species that is little known. It is new to me. Thank you for this.

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  7. This is a nice rundown, Margaret, of the M I use Deer. I don't recall ever seeing one in any of the zoos I have visited. And didn't know a thing about ungulates either. Now I'm wondering if they are all even-toed. I'll check Google, my Galaxy cell phone doesn't know about ungulates either, it described undulate.
    This was really good with great photos. Thank you for educating me a bit.
    ..

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  8. Such a small animal, fascinating to see your photos.

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  9. I am amazed by these tiny deer! Well worth seeing & thanks for sharing !

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  10. Wow! Very cool and informative. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Absolutely fascinating. Thank you.

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  12. What a fascinating creature! They are really different!

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  13. That looks more like a mouse than a deer! Very unusual, thanks for sharing your photos.

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  14. new to me, they are cute looking little critters!!!

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