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Chevrotain (Tragulidae) are a family of ungulates with four species in the tropics of Africa and Asia. They are barely larger than rabbits and are phylogenetically the original group of ruminants.

Description
The body length of Chevrotain lies between 40 and 85 cm, the weight of between 2 and 12 kilograms, they are the smallest living ungulates. You have no weapons forehead, neither horns nor a antlers, but the canines are particularly among males stoßzahnartig enlarged and protrude from the mouth. The roundish physique is, in contrast, the legs are very thin and fragile effect. Your skin coloration varies from orangebraun to grey and is at the bottom brighter, mostly white. Two of the four species have white spots strips arranged on the flanks.

The little head is through the tapered snout and the relatively large eyes characterized. The dental formula of these animals is 0/3-1/1-3/3-3/3, for a total of 34 teeth. As with many other biungulate missing the upper incisors, canines resemble the lower the cutting teeth.

Dissemination and habitat
One way to the African Chevrotain, is in the central part of Africa distributed, the other three species, the Kantian Chile, live in South and Southeast Asia from India to Indonesia. Their habitat is mostly dense undergrowth passed forests, mainly rain forests, mostly in the vicinity of water bodies.

Warming
All Chevrotain are dämmerungs and night. They are very shy and withdrawn live animals, which are hard to face. There are territorial animals, the area with their urine, feces or secretions of the glands on the lower jaw and mark at least vehemently against animals of the same sex defend. They live either einzelgängerisch or in monogamous pairs.

Nutrition
Chevrotain are primarily herbivores, but they are in the food not very specialized: so they eat leaves, grasses, buds and fruit fallen to the ground. Animal foods (for example, insects, fish and carrion) makes a small part of their diet.

Like all ruminants possess a mehrkammerigen stomach.

Reproduction
A special feature, in which at least two types were observed, is that the females often only a few hours after birth and mate again so nearly her whole adult life rich can spend. The Gestation is about five to seven months, usually a litter size (rarely two). The young animals are Nestflüchter and sexually within a few months.

Systematics
Phylogenetisch Chevrotain are at the base of ruminants and form the sister taxon of all other representatives of this group, as Pecora (forehead weapons makers) will be merged. (See also classification of ungulates.)

The earliest ancestors of the finds of Chevrotain go to the early Miocene. In that era had these relatively urtümliche group also their widest dissemination, it is from Europe, Asia and Africa. Since then, their representatives remained virtually unchanged.

Today there are four species known:

* Genus Hyemoschus
O African Chevrotain or (misleading) Water musk animal (Hyemoschus aquaticus)
* Genus Tragulus
O Großkantschil (Tragulus napu)
O Kleinkantschil (Tragulus javanicus)
* Genus Moschiola (sometimes too Tragulus expected)
O Fleckenkantschil (Moschiola meminna)

wikipedia