Himalayan musk deer , Himalayan musk deer
The white-bellied musk deer or Himalayan musk deer (Moschus leucogaster ) is a musk deer species occurring in the Himalayas of Nepal, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and China. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List because of overexploitation resulting in a probable serious population decline.
It was previously considered a subspecies of the Alpine musk deer, but was separated on the basis of different skull proportions.
The White-bellied musk deer is a very well-adapted species of deer for high altitudes. They have well-developed dew claws, broad toes that provide increased stability on steep slopes, and a dense coat of coarse hairs with air-filled cells to insulate against the extreme temperature. While they lack antlers, a trait notable among all musk deer, White-bellied musk deer do possess a pair of enlarged and easily broken canines that grow continuously. Their hind legs are significantly longer and more muscular than their shorter, thinner forelimbs. The fawns of this species have white spots to help with camouflage, but as they mature these spots disappear. White-bellied musk deer have a waxy substance called musk that the male secretes from a gland in the abdomen. The deer use this to mark territories and attract females, but the musk is also used in the manufacture of perfumes and medicines.
White-bellied musk deer occur in the Himalayas of Nepal, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, and China. They inhabit high alpine environments preferring meadows, shrublands, and fir forests.
White-bellied musk deer are solitary secretive animals. During the daytime, they typically hide in the dense forest and at night, they come out to feed in more open habitats. They occupy a small home range of up to 22 hectares. Males are fiercely territorial, only allowing females to enter their range. Territories are marked by carefully placed defecation sites and strong-smelling secretions, which are placed onto the surrounding plants. Males fight each other over females during the mating season and use their long canines to fight and defend their territories.
White-bellied musk deer are herbivores (folivores). They prefer to feed on leaves of trees and shrubs with high protein and low fibre contents. During the winter, they eat lichens and even climb small trees to feed upon leaves that would otherwise be out of reach.
During the mating season, the females hide from all the commotion. For the males to attract the females and bring them out from hiding, they use their strong-smelling musk. After the gestation period of 170 to 198 days, a female gives birth to one or two young at a time. The young musk deer live off their mother's milk until they are about 6 months old and able to eat regular foods available in the wild. At 16 to 24 months old, they become reproductively mature.
The hunting and trade of the White-bellied musk deer is the main threat to the species. These animals are highly valuable because the musk they produce is in demand for the manufacture of perfumes and medicines. This species is endangered and hard to find and its value on the wildlife trade market is increased still further. Hunters catch and kill the deer using snares. Only males produce the musk, so this creates a problem because females and young are also caught in the traps and killed.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the White-bellied musk deer total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
