About Tragulus kanchil (Raffles, 1821)
Tragulus kanchil, commonly known as the lesser mouse-deer, is one of the smallest known hoofed mammals. Mature individuals can be as small as 45 cm (18 inches) in length and 2 kg (4.4 lb) in weight, and it is related to the even smaller Java mouse-deer. This species faces threats from predation by feral dogs. Further research has corrected an earlier belief that these creatures are nocturnal, confirming they are actually active during the day. While many births take place in May, November, or December, female lesser mouse-deer are able to reproduce year-round, as noted by Kusuda et al. The lesser mouse-deer is widely distributed across Southeast Asia, specifically found in Indochina, the Kra Isthmus of Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, southern Yunnan in China, Kalimantan, Sumatra and many other small islands in Indonesia, Laos, Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and many other small islands in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
