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There are a lot of unique and strange animals on planet Earth, the average average person has not even heard of many and does not know about their existence. But this beast surpassed all existing in the world. Kanchil is a tiny vertebrate that is a member of the deer order. Archaeologists say that the very first representatives of this genus lived fifty million years ago in the Miocene era. Today, the modern canchil practically does not differ in appearance from previous generations, even the behavior has remained the same.
Habitat
The smallest animal prefers hot and warm countries, and seeks to live closer to the equator. It can be found only in West Africa and Southeast Asia, more this miracle you will not see anywhere. Today, the artiodactyl family has five species, four of which are best studied. Memin, or as it is also called spotted canchil, lives in India, and can also be found on the island of Ceylon. A larger animal of this genus can be seen on the island of Sumatra.
The smallest fawn settled in southern China. All members of the family look very similar to each other, and only slightly differ in some specific features.
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The largest representative of canchillis is a water deer; it has a body length of 75 - 85 centimeters. For comparison: the smallest deer grows up to 55 centimeters, and its growth is about 20-25 cm, weight reaches two kilograms on average.
The body shape of the animal is round, almost like a barrel, with a fairly dense physique, the back is arcuate, and the legs are very slender and thin, like a real deer. There are four hooves on the legs, and there is another distinctive feature - the side hooves are much smaller than the average ones. The neck is rather short, the head with a narrow elongated muzzle and very large black eyes, pointed ears. Unlike deer, these tiny animals do not grow horns at all, despite such a loud name. Males differ from females in sharp and large saber-toothed fangs on the upper jaw; they bulge outward, even when the animal’s mouth is completely closed. The color of the coat is brown or brown with light spots, it can often have an orange tint.
Lifestyle
Kanchil leads a rather strange way of life. These animals are very shy and live secretly in the wilderness, trying not to get out of it anywhere. They feel most safe in dense forests, where there is tall grass and a huge number of various shrubs. In the daytime, small deer usually sleep in gorges of rocks, empty tree trunks or hollows abandoned by previous owners, but at night they leave their shelters giving protection and go in search of food.Usually they go in search of provisions as soon as the sun sets and darkness sets in.
Often they make long trails, creating a tunnel among impassable thickets. These strange animals feed on fruits, buds and leaves. A distinctive feature of this "little deer" is its excellent ability to fish. Therefore, the canchil is deservedly considered an excellent fisherman.
The most comfortable thing for these strange unusual animals is among impassable thickets, most importantly, there should be a pond nearby. For example, for the African deer, water is very necessary, because in some cases it is the only way to escape from predatory animals. When the canchil feels danger, he simply dives into the water and goes on in search of shelter. She can perfectly do without air for some time, which often saves his life. And besides, she spends most of her life in it, while at the same time looking for food there.
Although these small deer walk on hooves, they somehow manage to conquer trees from which ripe fruits are picked and eaten with pleasure. There have been many cases when a fawn, hiding from enemies, climbs into trees. Everyone knows that most ungulates sleep mainly while standing, but this is not about our animal, he sleeps lying down, bending his thin legs under him.
What does it eat?
They eat almost everything that comes across the road - they will devour the leaves of any plant, pick fruits from it and hatch the seeds, and they will not pass by the coming across mushrooms. Like aquatic animals, they can also often eat algae, which is typical for representatives of this species. In the background, they prefer different insects and small rodents as food. They like to fish in a variety of reservoirs - streams, small rivers, lakes, ponds. The deer, who live in Africa, spend a lot of time on water. She not only seeks food in it, being an excellent swimmer, but also uses the water surface as a shelter for predators. feed on crabs and fish.
Breeding
Little deer are polygamous animals, they live alone, not gathering in flocks, and are found only for breeding. The mating season of these deer, unusual for the human eye, lasts only a month - from June to July. Like other animals, fights for the female often occur, especially since the canchies have sharp and long fangs.
Females spend most of their lives pregnant, because the duration of gestation is about five months, or rather - 150-160 days. An amazing feature of the presented animal is that the females, literally a couple of hours after giving birth, are ready for a new mating. For twelve months a deer can cause two to three offspring. Usually one deer is born, only twins are born in Asian Kanchillas. The born baby keeps its feet well and eats mother’s milk for three months. When they are six months old, they leave their mother and go to explore new territory. In the wild, animals live for about twelve years.
At the moment, Kanchil is listed in the Red Book, as their population has declined significantly.
Man and canchil
Since ancient times, canchil is considered a very cunning animal, so catching it is a great success. Mostly they hunt the beast because of its unusual meat, but there are times when deer are tamed and kept at home. When you try to catch the beast, you can be bitten, because he has very sharp teeth.
Interesting
It has been established that the closest relatives of these animals can be called real deer, having the same structure of teeth and intestines, and pigs, whose paws also have 4 fingers. Kanchili is an example of ancient artiodactyls, who served as ancestors of modern representatives of this species.
Each of the animals conquers territory in its possession - males need twelve hectares for a comfortable and well-fed life, and females a little less, eight are enough for them.
Video: canchil (Tragulus javanicus)
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