Wildlifeof India
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 at about 3,000–5,000m
Range
Eastern Himalaya in Nepal, Bhutan and India to the highlands of Tibet
Size
40–60cm tall
The alpine musk deer is a small deer, 40–60 cm tall, with long upper canines that do not hide within the mouth; the tusks grow during the mating season and are used for sparring between males. It is native to the eastern Himalaya in Nepal, Bhutan and India and to the highlands of Tibet, and it is the state animal of Uttarakhand. Animals recorded in the Himalayan foothills are now considered a separate species, the Himalayan musk deer (Wikipedia, general species account).
It lives in coniferous and deciduous forest at about 3,000–5,000 m; in eastern Bhutan it was recorded at 3,730–4,227 m in 2015. It is a solitary ruminant and mainly a browser, feeding on forbs, grasses, moss, lichens and the shoots, leaves and twigs of shrubs. The mating season is late November and young are born from June to July (Wikipedia, general species account).
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 at about 3,000–5,000m
- Where is the Alpine Musk-deer found?
- Eastern Himalaya in Nepal, Bhutan and India to the highlands of Tibet
- How big is the Alpine Musk-deer?
- 40–60cm tall