Musk deer

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Musk deer
Temporal range: Early MioceneRecent Pre O S D C P T J K Pg N

Moschus moschiferus

Scientific classification

Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Chordata

Class:

Mammalia

Order:

Artiodactyla

Suborder:

Ruminantia

Infraorder:

Pecora

Family:

Moschidae
(Gray, 1821)

Genus:

Moschus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Species Moschus chrysogaster Alpine Musk Deer Moschus moschiferus Siberian Musk Deer Moschus berezovskii Dwarf Musk Deer Moschus fuscus Black Musk Deer Moschus anhuiensis Anhui Musk Deer Moschus cupreus Kashmir Musk Deer Moschus leucogaster White-bellied Musk Deer
Musk deer can refer to any one of, or all seven species, that make up Moschus, the only genus of the family Moschidae.[1] Musk deer are more primitive than cervids, or true deer, because they lack antlers and

facial glands, and possess only a single pair of teats, a gall bladder, a caudal gland, a pair of tusk-like teeth andof particular economic importance to humansa musk gland. Musk deer live mainly in forested and alpine scrub habitats in the mountains of southern Asia, notably the Himalayas. Moschids, the proper term when referring to this type of deer rather than one/multiple species of musk deer, are entirely Asian in their present distribution, being extinct in Europe where the earliest musk deer are known to have existed from Oligocene deposits.
Contents
[hide]

1 Characteristics 2 Evolution

2.1 Taxonomy

3 References 4 External links

Characteristics[edit]

Skull of a buck showing the trademark teeth

Skeleton of Micromeryx showing the general skeletal features

Musk deer resemble small deer with a stocky build, and hind legs longer than their front legs. They are approximately 80 to 100 centimetres (31 to 39 in) long, 50 to 70 centimetres (20 to 28 in) tall at the shoulder,

and weigh between 7 and 17 kilograms (15 and 37 lb). The feet of musk deer are adapted for climbing in rough terrain. Like the Chinese water deer, a cervid, they have no antlers, but the males do have enlarged upper canines, forming sabre-like tusks. The dental formula is similar to that of true deer: 0.1.3.33.1.3.3 The musk gland is found only in adult males. It lies in a sac located between the genitals and theumbilicus, and its secretions are most likely used to attract mates. Musk deer are herbivores, living in hilly, forested environments, generally far from human habitation. Like true deer, they eat mainly leaves, flowers, and grasses, with some mosses and lichens. They are solitary animals, and maintain well-defined territories, which they scent mark with their caudal glands. Musk deer are generally shy, and either nocturnal, or crepuscular. Males leave their territories during the rutting season, and compete for mates, using their tusks as weapons. Female musk deer give birth to a single fawn after about 150180 days. The newborn young are very small, and essentially motionless for the first month of their life, a feature that helps them remain hidden from predators.[2] Musk deers have been hunted for their scent glands, which can fetch up to $45,000/kg on the black market. It is rumored that ancient royalty wore the scent of the musk deer and that it is an aphrodisiac.[3]

Evolution[edit]

Reconstruction of the extinct American species Blastomeryx gemmifer

Reconstruction of the extinct genusMicromeryx

Siberian Musk Deer

Dwarf Musk Deer

Black Musk Deer

Musk deer may be a surviving representative of the Palaeomerycidae, a family of ruminants that is probably ancestral to deer. They originated in the early Oligocene epoch and disappeared in the Pliocene. Most species

lacked antlers, though some were found in later species. The musk deer are, however, still placed in a separate family.

Taxonomy[edit]
While they have been traditionally classified at members of the deer family (as the subfamily "Moschinae") and all the species were classified as one species (under Moschus moschiferus), recent studies indicated that moschids are more closely related to bovids (antelope and oxen).[4] The following taxonomy is after Prothero (2007)[5] Moschidae

Hydropotopsis

Hydropotopsis lemanensis

Hispanomeryx

Hispanomeryx aragonensis Hispanomeryx daamsi Hispanomeryx duriensis Hispanomeryx andrewsi

Oriomeryx

Oriomeryx major Oriomeryx willii

Friburgomeryx

Friburgomeryx wallenriedensis

Bedenomeryx

Bedenomeryx truyolsi Bedenomeryx milloquensis Bedenomeryx paulhiacensis

Dremotheriinae

Pomelomeryx

Pomelomeryx boulangeri Pomelomeryx gracilis

Dremotherium

Dremotherium cetinensis Dremotherium guthi Dremotherium quercyi

Dremotherium feignouxi

Blastomerycinae

Pseudoblastomeryx

Pseudoblastomeryx advena

Machaeromeryx

Machaeromeryx tragulus

Longirostromeryx

Longirostromeryx clarendonensis Longirostromeryx wellsi

Problastomeryx

Problastomeryx primus

Parablastomeryx

Parablastomeryx floridanus Parablastomeryx gregorii

Blastomeryx

Blastomeryx gemmifer

Moschinae

Micromeryx

Micromeryx styriacus Micromeryx flourensianus

Moschus

Moschus moschiferus Moschus anhuiensis Moschus berezovskii Moschus fuscus Moschus chrysogaster Moschus cupreus Moschus leucogaster

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web - Moschus (musk deer) Classificationhttp://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Moschus.html#Moschus 2. Jump up^ Frdrich, Hans (1984). Macdonald, D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 5189. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.

3. 4.

Jump up^ Wild Russia, Discovery Channel Jump up^ Molecular and Morphological Phylogenies of Ruminantia and the Alternative Position of the Moschidae http://www.isem.cnrs.fr/IMG/pdf/Hassanin_2003-SystBiol.pdf

5.

Jump up^ Prothero, 2007 (p. 221-226)

External links[edit]

Guha S, Goyal SP, Kashyap VK (March 2007). "Molecular phylogeny of musk deer: a genomic view with mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome b gene". Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 42 (3): 585 97. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.06.020. PMID 17158073.

Hassanin A, Douzery EJ (April 2003). "Molecular and morphological phylogenies of ruminantia and the alternative position of the moschidae". Syst. Biol. 52 (2): 206 28.doi:10.1080/10635150390192726. PMID 12746147.

The New Student's Reference Work/Musk-Deer