Wildlifeof Nepal
Alpine Musk Deer
Deer & Chevrotains
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Moschus chrysogaster
Basic stats
Diet
Forbs, grasses, moss, lichens, and shoots, leaves and twigs of shrubs
Habitat
Coniferous and deciduous forest in mountains at 3,000–5,000m
Range
Eastern Himalayas of Nepal, Bhutan and India to the Tibetan highlands
Size
Small deer, 40–60cm tall
The alpine musk deer is a small deer, 40 to 60cm tall, with long upper canines that project from the mouth instead of hiding inside it. The fangs grow during the mating season and are used by males for sparring. Animals recorded in the Himalayan foothills are now treated as a separate species, the Himalayan musk deer (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is a solitary ruminant and mainly a browser. In Nepal it occurs in Khaptad, Sagarmatha, Shey-Phoksundo, Langtang and Makalu Barun National Parks, the Annapurna and Kanchenjunga Conservation Areas and Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. Mating is in late November and births are in June and July. Being solitary, it is hard to observe. Nationally Endangered (Nepal National Red List 2011).
Quick answers
- What does the Alpine Musk Deer eat?
- Forbs, grasses, moss, lichens, and shoots, leaves and twigs of shrubs
- What habitat does the Alpine Musk Deer live in?
- Coniferous and deciduous forest in mountains at 3,000–5,000m
- Where is the Alpine Musk Deer found?
- Eastern Himalayas of Nepal, Bhutan and India to the Tibetan highlands
- How big is the Alpine Musk Deer?
- Small deer, 40–60cm tall