| White-bellied Musk Deer | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Moschidae |
| Genus: | Moschus |
| Species: | M. leucogaster |
| Binomial name | |
| Moschus leucogaster Hodgson, 1839 |
|
The White-bellied or Himalayan Musk Deer (Moschus leucogaster) is a species of musk deer. It used to be considered a subspecies of the Alpine musk deer.
It is found in parts of northern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and in northern parts of India such as Kashmir, Kumaon and Sikkim. It inhabits high alpine environments, with the lowest occurring altitude at 2500 m above sea level. The species is endangered due to a high volume of illegal wildlife trade within its range.
Contents |
The Himalayan Musk Deer is very well adapted for high altitudes. The Himalayan musk deer has well-developed dewclaws and large, wide toes that provide increased stability on steep slopes, and a dense coat of coarse hairs with air-filled cells that insulate against the extreme temperature[2]. The Himalayan musk deer lacks antlers, but possesses a pair of enlarged canines that are broken easy but grow continuously to reach as much as ten centimeters in length[3][4]. The body is stocky, and the forelimbs are short and thin and the rear limbs are longer and powerful. Instead of running the Himalayan musk deer travels well by using large leaping gates. As the white-tailed deer fawns, the musk deer fawns have brown fur with white spots but as they grow they lose the spots and become more similar to the parents.
The Himalayan musk deer has a waxy substance called musk that the male deer secrets from a gland in the abdomen. The deer use this to mark territories and attract females. But the musk is also been used in the manufacture of perfumes, and medicines [5].
Shy and secretive during the day when it hides in dense cover, at night the Himalayan musk deer emerges to feed in more open habitats. This species prefers to select the leaves of trees and shrubs with a high protein and low fibre content, but during the winter it may subsist on poorer quality lichens, although it may climb small trees to feed upon leaves that would otherwise be out of reach[6]. The Himalayan musk deer is a fairly sedentary species, occupying a small home range of up to 22 hectares. The 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[5]
As do most animals do, the Himalayan Musk deer fights with rival males over females during the mating season. The males use there long canines to fight and defend their territory. The females on the other hand hind from all the commotion. For the males to attract the females and bring them out from hiding, they use their strong smelling musk. Those with a good smell will attract the females and mate with them. A female will have up to one or two young. The young musk deer will live off the mothers milk till it is about six months old and able to eat regular foods available in the wild. It is not until they are sixteen to twenty four months old that they become sexually mature[5][6]
Himalayan musk deer can live up to 10 to 14 years old.
•leopard •lynx •yellow-throated marten •red fox •grey wolf [7]
Being that the musk the deer produces is a priority in making perfumes and medicines, this makes it highly valuable. And since the species is endangered and hard to find, this makes it more valuable in the wildlife trade market. The hunting and trade of the Himalayan Musk Deer is the main threat to the species. The deers musk may sell for as much as $45,000 per kilogram, making it one of the most valuable animal-derived products in the world [8] Hunters catch and kill the deer using snares. Only males produce the musk and this creates a problem because females and young are caught in the traps and killed.
The Himalayan musk deer is protected by law in Bhutan, Nepal and India. In China, hunting may be permitted in some areas, although a license is required. This Endangered species is also found in a number of protected areas; however, the uneven enforcement of legislation across its range has meant there has been little impact on preventing the rampant trade in the species[9]. Improving the enforcement of anti-poaching laws is deemed a key priority for the conservation of this species.
Captive-deer farming for musk has been developed in China, and so far this has shown that it is possible to extract musk from a deer without having to kill it. However, the captive deer succumb to disease, fighting and producing poorer quality musk. So far killing wild deer is thought to be the most cost effective method for extracting musk[10]. Open farming is a possible new way to extract the musk, whereby free ranging or wild musk deer are caught and the musk then extracted, allowing the species to be conserved and survive[10]