Saber-toothed deer. Animal musk deer: description, interesting facts, photos

Deer are generally presented to us as cute and harmless animals. They are quite timid, feed on grass and leaves, and can only harm if they hit someone with their hoof. Interestingly, some representatives of the deer family have fangs.

Nature deprived him of the main attribute of his relatives, placing him in a separate group hornless deer, as a result of which he had to grow two magnificent fangs, which serve as an excellent means of protection from enemies and getting rid of unwanted competitors in mating season. Everyone's favorite deer Bambi could have been like this if he had been born a water deer.

AT wild nature this species of deer lives in the humid areas of the Yangtze River Delta, along the banks of lakes and rivers in east-central China, as well as on Korean peninsula. Water deer can be seen grazing in the high reed beds and green foothills, or resting in the soft soil of plowed and sown fields.

Water deer are excellent swimmers, and to change scenery or find a new pasture, they are able to swim several kilometers, moving between the coastal Chinese islands.

These fanged creatures appearance resembling ordinary roe deer, lead an absolutely vegetarian lifestyle, but are more demanding in the choice of food than their relatives. They raid cultivated fields and eat not only weeds, but the crop itself. Favorite treat- tender sedge sprouts, juicy green grass, young leaves of shrubs.

home distinguishing feature water deer - its long curved fangs that grow in adult males from 5.5 to 8 centimeters. The fangs are movably located in the upper jaw and are controlled by the facial muscles. An adult male water deer can use them like a folding knife - while eating, they are removed back, and in case of danger or a showdown with rivals, they move forward, representing a very formidable weapon.

Many scars were left by these sharp fangs on the necks and heads of other males during the mating season. In case of danger, the deer lowers its lower lip and tightly compresses both jaws, showing the enemy a formidable grin, which assigned the name “deer-vampire” to its owner.

Water deer are solitary animals, remembering relatives only at the height of the mating season. Between the fingers of the males are special glands that produce a fluid with which they mark the territory. They take the issue of personal ownership of land very seriously and do not like it when uninvited guests encroach on their habitats.

To preserve the inviolability of their personal territory, water deer are not limited to the production of an odorous liquid - for greater fidelity, they pluck the grass around their plot of land, thus marking its boundaries. But even this seems to them not enough, and they lay out the branches of young trees along the edges of the site, having previously marked them with saliva.

The means of communication between water deer are variations of sounds reminiscent of dog barking. So water deer bark at people, and also at other deer, sometimes for unknown reasons. During mating, they make characteristic clicking sounds, probably with the help of molars. Females ready to mate call the male with a low whistle or a high-pitched sound like a screech.

Muntjacs are unusual pygmy deer, armed not only with horns and hooves, but also with long sharp teeth. The distribution area of this animal is large: from India to Vietnam, including the islands of Kalimantan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Java. When meeting with an opponent or enemy, the animal barks loudly and for a long time, shrillly, and defends itself not by butting, but by biting.

Outwardly, the muntjac resembles a canine representative - 40–60 cm high, the neck and legs are short, rounded ear tips, the muzzle looks like a fox. The front legs are shorter than the hind legs, which is why the back of the ruminant artiodactyl is hunched. But the tail is quite long: up to 25 cm.

The skeleton, or rather the head of a male, is terrifying - fifteen-centimeter thick horns, combined with strongly protruding fangs, which herbivores do not have, evoke thoughts about the prehistoric origin of the skull.

The diet of the animal is so rich that it can be safely called an omnivore: leaves, grass, tree bark - for stripping off which such teeth, mushrooms, bird eggs, reptiles, small animals and even carrion are needed.

Stronger is the one who cries more

Muntjac, in contrast to his ruminant counterparts, loves twilight, going out to "hunt" in the dark. He is not a lover of the crowd - the herd lifestyle is not for him. The pygmy deer is a loner, willing to endure only the company of a spouse. Sometimes - their own children, until they grow up - up to a year.

For all his reticence, the muntjac is a big talker - all the same shrill, annoying ear, which can go on for quite some time. Strange as it may seem, males prove their masculinity to each other not with horns or even teeth, but with tears: With secretions from the lacrimal glands, they mark their territory.

crested deer

There are five types of muntjacs in total. One of them is a crested deer that lives in China. He is slightly taller than his relatives in appearance: up to 70 cm at the withers, even more closed, and has two distinctive features:

The crest, thanks to which it got its name. On his head grows a black-brown forelock up to 17 cm high, sometimes completely hiding the horns.
Even longer, strongly protruding fangs, which is why this deer is sometimes called a "vampire".

During marriage fights Chinese deer they take advantage of the presence of such a wonderful weapon in their mouths, biting into the bodies of opponents, first knocking them down with an accurate blow of the horns. But with all the frightening oddities, crested deer, like all muntjacs, are very peaceful, calm creatures, and many countries, including European ones, buy them for their parks.

Do you know what is dangerous? Stay with us!

As a person who knows a lot about musk, if not everything, then for many years I have been debunking the myths about this “magic” powder. Musk is an animal product. In the Sayans, the mountains of Altai, Transbaikalia and Primorye, a funny animal lives - the musk deer. The Latin name for the musk deer is Moschus moschiferus, which means "giving musk". Musk deer is an artiodactyl, similar to a miniature deer, therefore it is sometimes called a deer with a fatal aroma, and also a musky ram. The musk deer looks awkward and awkward: the rear part of the body is massive, and the hind legs are much longer than the front ones. Musk deer is a solitary animal.

But males need to lure females to mate each year. This problem is successfully solved with the help of an attractive smell. On the abdomen of males, next to the urogenital canal, there is a musky gland - a sac in which black fragrant musk grains are synthesized. In winter, during the rut, males leave odorous marks everywhere. Intoxicated females flock to this smell like moths; the aroma is so strong that it even stimulates heat.

Princess on the Pea. Among environmental organizations musk causes no less controversy than the tusks of elephants or the skins of Amur tigers. One male musk deer produces a maximum of 20 grams of musk per year. According to our estimates (Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences), legal and illegal exports of musk from Russia over the 16-year period (from 1990 to 2006) amounted to 820 kilograms, and the turnover was 41 million US dollars.

It turns out that in order to provide a huge sales market, only in Russia every year you need to kill two and a half thousand male musk deer. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, it became clear: for both humans and animals, it is more profitable to farm musk deer and select musk from live males. But breeding musk deer turned out to be not as easy as cows or sheep. The musk deer is extremely fastidious, it requires a person to create for him special, extremely comfortable conditions. Firstly, musk deer are easily frightened. When danger appears (for example, when meeting a person), the musk deer prefers to flee. The scaring distance is 50-60 meters - having run such a distance, the musk deer makes the first stop. If the enclosure is not large enough, the musk deer can run into the fence and get a serious head injury. Adult females are the most shy, and the calmest are two-year-old males. In any case, breeding enclosures should be spacious, 100 meters long and 70 meters wide.

In the first two weeks after birth, calves leave their mother, retire and spend all the time in shelters.

Secondly, the musk deer loves deep dark coniferous forests. The musk deer family separated from the common trunk of artiodactyls 26 million years ago in the vast Central Asia. The first mention of musk deer in the kingdom of Yerginul (on the territory modern China) we find at the Venetian merchant Marco Polo in the 13th century: “A beast with a gazelle, ... its hair is thick like that of a deer, its legs are like those of a gazelle, there are no horns ...”. The musk deer resembles the gazelle not only in size: this deer is also refined and shy. Naughty nerves are best calmed in the shade of the forest - shady areas are best suited for stress relief. Therefore, in captivity for musk deer, you need to arrange shrubs, tall grasses and create huts from spruce branches in which the animal can retire.

But that's not all: a conscientious breeder has to arrange imitations of rocks in an aviary: musk deer often escapes from enemies on the ledge of a rock. This behavioral feature is used when catching the "fatal deer": dogs chase the poor animal until it climbs a rocky ledge. Since the musk deer hides on the same ledge for many years, a catcher with a noose can safely wait for a frightened animal from above - success is guaranteed to him.

The third condition set by the musk deer is special food. One of my friends told me how they scared her on a trip to Altai locals, saying that in the forest there is a musk deer, "a special kind of deer, which grows huge fangs and which feeds on carrion and human flesh." The spine of the musk deer is very flexible - the animal easily stands on its hind legs to get wood lichen - I will fall asleep.

The fangs of male musk deer, of course, give the animal a menacing appearance, but in reality, musk deer, as befits herbivores, eats only plant foods. In the course of a long evolution, the musk deer has adapted to eat lichens. In winter, when there is no other food, the share of tree and ground lichens in the diet of this deer reaches 95 percent. As often happens, the animal became addicted to lichens out of necessity, but now it cannot live without them.

The fourth distinguishing feature of a deer with a fatal smell is the relationship between males and females. Musk deer forms two types couples. One of them is conservative and archaic - the union of an adult male and a young female. The second type of union: a pair of young individuals. It is these families that persist throughout the life of animals. Adult animals of the same age strongly conflict and even arrange fights. This circumstance also complicates the breeding of musk deer.

In addition, immediately after birth, the cubs leave their mother and hide in undersized bushes: try to tame offspring that shun their own mother.

Realizing that the domestication of musk deer is extremely difficult, if not impossible, we zoologists realized that we should not hope for much. Taming a musk deer will, at best, reduce the defensive distance in relation to a person.

Magic powder. And yet the resulting musk justifies the laborious breeding of musk deer. A man appreciated all the charm of this amazing substance and discovered it healing properties even 5 thousand years ago. in Tibetan and Chinese medicine musk was used long before the birth of Christ. The German researcher F. Hubotter wrote in 1913: “It is pungent, warm, fragrant, gives a feeling of lightness, penetrates meat and kidneys, has a quick effect on all types of gases, pneuma and blood, relieves pain, dilates all orifices of the body, opens veins . It cures fearfulness, dispels poisons and kills worms, helps with fever, runny nose and deafness.

During the reign of the Tang Dynasty (8th century AD), musk becomes very fashionable in China: it is even used to give pleasant smell pavilion walls.

From China, the musk glands were brought to the Arab countries, the Arabs, in turn, shared the "musky secret" with the Europeans. A substance that has a specific biological purpose - to promote the reproduction of musk deer, has become a magic powder, a cure for all diseases.

In the Middle Ages, musk was used as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent during epidemics of cholera and plague. In the era of the English kings of the Tudors, musk was added to medicines for melancholy. Until the middle of the 19th century, European physicians prescribed musk for impotence, paralysis, nervous disorders, infectious diseases, bronchial asthma, as an anticonvulsant for epilepsy, various spasms of smooth muscles, colic, as well as to stimulate miscarriages and from the evil eye.

We need him alive. And today musk deer musk is one of the most effective components of medicines. In perfumery, musk is valued for its ability to fix odors, although it has its own tart aroma. But you can meet natural musk only as part of expensive Chanel, Givenchy, Guerlain, Rochasa. More often, artificially synthesized compounds with a musky odor and the so-called vegetable musk are used - essential oil Egyptian rose, capable of fixing aromas. The decline in the popularity of musk among perfumers is simply explained: it is very expensive. In 2007, the purchase price for Siberian musk deer from hunters reached 9-12 US dollars per gram.

The technology for obtaining odorous material from living males was first developed by Russian scientists in the 50s of the last century. A tube was inserted into the duct of the musky gland, and then the sac was pressed, and a stream of secretion was sprayed out. This method was good for obtaining the pasty musk of young males, but the concentrated mature grains of adults (the most valuable) cannot be “squeezed out” through a straw. On Chinese farms, musk is squeezed out after local anesthesia has been given to the animal. Such selection is rather rough and leads to the necrosis of the musk gland, the cessation of its secretion, which causes stress and even death of the animal. Our technology, developed at the Chernogolovka scientific and experimental base near Moscow, does not lead to disastrous consequences. The secret is that before extracting the musk, males are injected with a solution of ketamine and xylazine - substances that block the activity of the cerebellum and the cortical layer of the brain. This causes superficial sleep, complete immobilization and loss of sensation. Then, carefully, so as not to damage the inner lining of the gland, the precious substance is removed with a small spoon. Average weight collected material from one male - 6.31 grams.

Save the musk deer. The first attempts to keep musk deer in captivity were made as early as the 18th century. There is a known case of keeping a musk sheep in France, in the Versailles menagerie (1772). The musk deer was delivered to the London Zoo in 1869, but due to the lack of shelters and improper feeding, it died after seven months. The Duke of Bedford Woburn-Abby bred musk deer on his estate and even got the first offspring. But still, the duke's animals did not take root and after a while they died.

In the 20th century, human perseverance defeated animal stubbornness. Before the Great Patriotic War musk deer breeding was established in the Altai Reserve, later - in the Stolby Reserve. Now the musk deer feels great on farms in Russia, China, and India.

The main exporters of dry musk are Russia and China. But the amount of substance obtained on the farms of China is still negligible: only 6 kilograms of musk per year. Therefore, the world market for the secret of the “fatal deer” at the beginning of the 21st century is completely dependent on supplies from Russia. It is clear that it is almost impossible to stop the extermination of musk deer: the protests of environmentalists are nothing compared to the pressure commercial organizations selling musk and musk deer skin, from which excellent suede is made.

In general, the existence of musk deer has been under threat since the 19th century. In Russia, in 1855 alone, 81.2 thousand musk glands were harvested. In 1845, the number of musk deer in the Russian part of the range was 250 thousand individuals. And in the first third of the XX century - did not exceed 10 thousand. In the post-war years, the musk deer restored its numbers and expanded its range until the early 1990s, when the demand for musk increased sharply. A significant part of the odorous product was extracted and exported from Russia illegally through channels to Far East. The deal was very profitable: in 1992, in the port of Nakhodka, you could buy a used foreign car for 25 glands. By 2011, the illegal export of musk gained momentum. Musk deer are exterminated even under the guise of ecological expertise. Contribute to the decline in the number of "fatal deer" Forest fires.

We can only contribute to the development of farming in Russia: musk deer breeding seems to us promising and relevant both for the economy and for the conservation of the species.

Text: Vladimir Prikhodko
Photos: Valery Maleev

Musk deer is an animal that has given rise to many myths and superstitions. Its extraordinary appearance has long attracted the attention of naturalists, who were ready to easily travel hundreds of kilometers through the mountains, just to see this creature live. Even today, interest in him still has not faded.

What kind of miraculous animal is the musk deer, the description of which has so many curious facts? Why is it so remarkable? And why is it protected? World Organization animal rights?

What a wondrous animal?

The animal musk deer is one of the true, it is very different from its closest relatives in both size and appearance. Another name for it is musk deer. The animal musk deer gained its fame due to two reasons: unusual fangs and musk.

This deer has two front fangs that grow from the upper jaw. Because of them, the musk deer gained fame as a vampire hunting other animals. Moreover, earlier people believed that this beast is an evil spirit, and shamans often hunted him in order to get teeth as a magical trophy.

The time of superstition has sunk into oblivion, but the persecution of these animals has not stopped. After all, the animal musk deer is known for another feature, namely musk. It was this substance that became the target of many poachers who were ready to destroy whole view to win the coveted reward.

Appearance

What does a musk deer look like? In the photo, the animal resembles a cross between a roe deer and a deer, though without horns. It just so happens that this species is completely devoid of bone growth on the head, as well as tear pits under the eyes.

The length of the musk deer rarely grows more than one meter. As for its height, this moment the largest individual seen was no more than 80 cm. At the same time, its weight ranges from 12 to 18 kilograms. The color of the coat can vary from dark brown to light brown.

The musk deer is an animal known for its long fangs. True, only males have them and can reach up to 7 cm in length. For musk deer, they serve as a tool of protection, and only during the mating season can gentlemen use them as a way to prove their superiority over others.

Animal musk deer: habitat

This animal prefers highlands, and therefore the main habitat of its habitat is indicated by the mountains of China and Tibet. But you can also meet him in Russia. So, musk deer is found on a very vast territory: starting from the lower Altai and ending with the Amur itself.

The favorite place of the musk deer is the forest. Therefore, it is here that the animal spends most time. However, this does not mean that the deer does not wander high into the mountains. So, there is evidence that some individuals live in the Himalayas, at an altitude of more than 3000 m above sea level.

Musk deer habits

This type of deer is accustomed to a solitary lifestyle. This rule is violated only during the mating season, and then not for long. By the way, during mating games male musk deer become very aggressive towards each other. Quite often, their skirmishes lead to bloody fights on fangs, which is sometimes fatal.

In the rest of the year, they lead a quiet and measured lifestyle. They feed mainly on moss and fresh leaves. Therefore, the rumor that the musk deer drinks blood is just an empty superstition that has nothing to do with the truth.

In addition, the musk deer is very shy, any danger makes him run without looking back. At the same time, it is almost impossible to catch up with him. Due to the special structure of the body, he can change the trajectory of the run without even slowing down.

The Musk Hunt

In the old days, the musk deer population was not threatened. Her meat was not suitable for consumption, as it had an unpleasant aftertaste. As for the skin, although it retained heat, it was still much worse than that of other animals. So the only enemies of the deer were the shamans and mystics who harvested their fangs. But everything changed at the moment when Chinese alchemists began to use musk in their medicines.

For those who do not know, musk is a viscous substance that has a tart smell. Each male musk deer has a special gland that secretes this secret. It was she who became the object of hunting for many healers and healers. According to the Chinese folk medicine, then there are more than 200 potions and ointments infused with musk.

A little later, this substance began to be used in perfumery. Due to the astringency of the aroma, it quickly gained popularity among fashionistas and fashionistas of the time. Consequently, the pursuit of musk only intensified.

Ultimately, musk deer were hunted by everyone who wanted to make quick money. This led to the fact that the number of these animals decreased to such a limit that they were on the verge of complete extinction.

Fight for the rights of musk deer

Fortunately, the world is not without good people. A similar decline in the number of musk deer caused outrage from animal rights activists. And so they began to take active steps to protect them.

Thanks to their intervention, the musk deer was listed in the Red Book, and the poachers who hunt it were held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Such measures saved the animal from extinction, although the full restoration of the number of musk deer will not happen soon.

Beast in captivity

However, with the advent of a ban on hunting, the need for musk did not disappear. And so the farmers tried to breed a species that can live in captivity. The first attempts were unsuccessful, as the musk deer died very quickly. But over time, it still turned out to breed a breed that lives according to the rules of man.

True, as the farmers themselves assure, caring for her is still that job. In particular, a lot of trouble arises during the period when the males are ready to mate. Nevertheless, this approach greatly helped wild musk deer by reducing the demand for their glands.

Previously, the appearance of musk deer in the vicinity of the village foreshadowed grief. Therefore, after such a visit, the shamans performed rituals to drive away evil spirits.
Running away from the enemy, the musk deer behaves like a real hare. It winds from side to side, and in the event of a predator approaching, it can jump high and change its trajectory by 90 degrees with lightning speed.
In 1845, the musk deer population was over 250,000 individuals. A hundred years later, this number dropped to 10,000, which was the signal to save the musk deer.

Siberian musk deer, or fanged deer, lives in an area stretching from the Himalayan mountains and the Tibet highlands to Eastern Siberia, the Korean Peninsula and the Sakhalin Islands. Mostly musk deer settles in coniferous forests, covering the steep slopes of the mountains, mainly at an altitude of 600 to 900 meters, and in the Himalayas this deer can be found at an altitude of more than 3000 meters.

Musk deer is a small deer. The length of its body is less than 1 m, the height of the animal at the withers is only 70 cm, and the weight of the musk deer ranges from 11 to 18 kg. Distinctive feature in the structure of the animal - the presence of disproportionately long legs, on which a deer can climb without much effort in order to eat lichens on tree trunks and the needles of some conifers.

In addition, musk deer, unlike ordinary deer, does not have horns, but boasts fangs. Until now, scientists cannot definitely say what musk deer tusks are for. But shamans from ancient times used the fangs of musk deer to conduct mystical rites.

A photo. Siberian musk deer.

For a while, the fanged deer was even considered a vampire that feeds on the blood of animals, but later it turned out that this was not so. Musk deer, like any deer, is a herbivore. Only males have fangs, with the help of which they fight with an opponent during the rut. Sometimes the wounds can be so severe that the defeated male may die.

A photo. Siberian deer with fangs

A distinctive feature of the musk deer is its musk gland, which secretes musk, an aromatic substance used in medicine and perfumery since ancient times.

Especially wide application musk is known in Chinese medicine, where musk is the main ingredient in more than 200 medicines. Indeed, Indian scientists after a series of studies have proven that musk has a beneficial effect on the work of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems and is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent.

A photo. Musk deer.

Due to the presence of a musk gland in the musk deer, a number of people appeared who wanted to hunt this deer. The hunting of the animal took on perverted forms, as the hunters cut out the iron from the musk deer, leaving the dead animals in the taiga.

Such a barbaric attitude towards the small deer led to a sharp reduction in its numbers. Therefore, measures were taken to preserve this species, and the musk deer was included in the Red Book as an endangered species.

To obtain such a valuable musk, musk deer began to be bred on special farms. The first farms of this kind appeared in Saudi Arabia where musk began to be legally mined.

A photo. So here he is cute - a deer with fangs

And now we offer a video: Siberian musk deer in the wild, winter. Handsomely!.

More information about the Siberian deer with fangs can be found in the following video.