Video: The Lesser Mouse-deer OutdoorHub Reporters 12.17.13



Common across Southeast Asia, the adult lesser mouse-deer weighs as little as four pounds and stands a hair above 12 inches tall. This strange and diminutive creature would be the smallest deer in the world, but it is in fact not a “deer” proper. The mouse-deer, also known as the kanchil, belongs to a different—but closely-related—biological family than well-known deer species such as whitetail. Mouse-deer have no horns but sport elongated canines, which the animals sometimes use to eat insects and even crabs. Otherwise, mouse-deer restrict their diet to plants.

Much like their larger cousins, these creatures are shy and quick to escape perceived danger at a moment’s notice. Their small size and cautious mannerisms make the animals seem particularly nervous. A lesser mouse-deer can be observed in the video below.

The lesser mouse-deer are the smallest hoofed animals in the world. The honor of being the smallest deer actually goes to the pudu of South America, which are significantly larger than even the biggest of lesser mouse-deer.