Siberian musk deer
- The Siberian musk deer can change direction by 90° while running without slowing down. When escaping predators, it confuses its tracks like a hare does.
- A male Siberian musk deer’s musk gland contains 10–20 g of musk—the most expensive animal product. Musk has a sharp smell and a brownish color.
- The Siberian musk deer’s sacrum is 5–10 cm higher than its withers due to long hind legs. Its hind legs are unusually long, so the sacrum is 5–10 cm higher than the withers.
- The Siberian musk deer’s fur is waterproof and retains heat even under snow. Snow beneath it does not melt, unlike under reindeer, moose, or roe deer.
- In family groups, Siberian musk deer have peaceful interactions, but they are extremely aggressive toward unfamiliar individuals. Groups of up to three individuals communicate peacefully but show aggression toward strangers.
- During the mating season, male Siberian musk deer fight each other. In prolonged fights, one often knocks the other to the ground, kicks it, and bites it with its fangs, which can lead to the defeated animal’s death. In such fights, fangs play an important role.
- The animal jumps excellently and can climb steep rocks.
- The young are born spotted, like those of many other deer.
- The musk deer leads a solitary or small-group life.
- Gestation lasts about six months.
Age
The Siberian musk deer has a typical lifespan of from 7 to 18 years, although its theoretical lifespan can extend from 15 years and 3 months to 19 years and 8 months. The species reaches sexual maturity from 1 to 1 year and 8 months of age. The embryo develops inside the mother, receiving nourishment through the placenta and not eating independently. A newborn musk deer, which is a young animal, has its eyes open and begins walking immediately after birth; it is covered in fur with white spots, quickly stands on its legs, and feeds on its mother’s milk for a period of from 1 day to 6 months. Following this stage, the animal enters the adult phase, which lasts from 1 year and 6 months to 18 years, during which it is capable of reproduction and lives independently in the forest.
Phenotype
The Siberian musk deer has soft fur with white spots for camouflage from predators; the young possess this feature. The species exhibits a compact body and strong hind legs, facilitating jumps across rocks and through deep snow. Adult individuals have long upper canines that protrude from the mouth, used for defending territory and in mating rituals. The animal’s legs are thin and sturdy, with the hind legs being longer than the front legs, which aids in jumping long distances. Siberian musk deer possess musk glands on their abdomen, which secrete a fragrant substance called musk; this scent helps attract females and mark territory.
Physiology
The Siberian musk deer stands between 17.8 centimeters and 4.5 meters tall, with a body length ranging from 80 centimeters to 1 meter; the species weighs 10 kilograms. Embryonic stage individuals have a body mass of between 1 and 400 grams. The young, in the “fawn” stage, weigh from 400 grams to 5 kilograms and measure between 40 and 60 centimeters in length. Adult specimens weigh from 11 to 18 kilograms and have a body length of between 85 centimeters and 1 meter.
Habitat
The Siberian musk deer inhabits elevations from 500 meters to 3.5 kilometers, occupying terrestrial landscapes including highlands and tundra, ground forests, forests, and mountains. The species’ biome includes temperate coniferous forests characterized by cool summers, abundant coniferous trees, and snow in winter, flooded meadows with frequent inundation and plentiful grass, and taiga with cold winters and numerous coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. The climate features a cool summer with temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius, scant precipitation during winter, more precipitation during summer, constant moisture, dry and snowy winters with little rain but abundant snow, and many rains alongside a cool summer and snow in winter.
Shelter
The Siberian musk deer inhabits forests and mountain slopes and does not have a permanent or long-term shelter. The species utilizes moss and grass for cover, which serves purposes such as protection from predators, rest, and shielding from the sun. It lacks a fixed den site.
Geography
The Siberian musk deer is found within the Palearctic biogeographical realm, inhabiting several ecosystems including the meadows and sparse forests of the Kamchatka-Kuril Islands, mountain coniferous forests of Sayan, East Siberian taiga, West Siberian taiga, and the Beringian tundra of Russia.
Feeding
The Siberian musk deer consumes only plant matter, foraging through grazing; the species eats lichens and moss found under snow during winter, and leaves, shoots, and grass in summer. It obtains food by gnawing on plants, consuming lichens, moss, tree leaves, shrub shoots, grass, leaves, young shoots, and seedlings. The daily food requirement ranges from 400 grams to 0.9 kilograms.
Reproduction
Siberian musk deer inhabit and develop on land, away from bodies of water, and their young develop in nests built on or near the ground, which are located directly on the surface of the soil. The gestation period is 5 months and 2 weeks, and the female gives birth to one or two offspring in the spring, resulting in a litter size of 1–2. The young are born live on land, not hatching from eggs or larvae, and the mother feeds and protects them. Reproduction occurs at the end of autumn or winter, with an interval of 1 year between reproductive events. Sexual reproduction is always accomplished through fertilization, without generation changes, and only the mother demonstrates parental care for the offspring. The species reaches maturity from 1 year and 6 months to 3 years.