chevrotain

chev·ro·tain

C0281800 (shĕv′rə-tān′)n. Any of several small deerlike hornless ruminants of the genera Hyemoschus, Moschiola, and Tragulus, native to tropical and subtropical forests of India, Southeast Asia, and west-central Africa. Also called mouse deer.

[French chevrotin, from Old French, diminutive of chevrot, kid, diminutive of chevre, goat, from Latin capra, she-goat, feminine of caper, goat.]

chevrotain

(ˈʃɛvrəˌteɪn; -tɪn) n (Animals) any small timid ruminant artiodactyl mammal of the genera Tragulus and Hyemoschus, of S and SE Asia: family Tragulidae. They resemble rodents, and the males have long tusklike upper canines. Also called: mouse deer [C18: from French, from Old French chevrot kid, from chèvre goat, from Latin capra, feminine of caper goat]

Thesaurus

Noun

chevrotain - very small hornless deer-like ruminant of tropical Asia and west Africamouse deerruminant - any of various cud-chewing hoofed mammals having a stomach divided into four (occasionally three) compartmentsfamily Tragulidae, Tragulidae - chevrotainskanchil, Tragulus kanchil - small chevrotain of southeastern Asianapu, Tragulus Javanicus - chevrotain somewhat larger than the kanchil; found in India and MalayaHyemoschus aquaticus, water chevrotain, water deer - largest chevrotain; of marshy areas of west Africa

chevrotain

enUK

chevrotain

(shĕv`rətān'), name for several species of small, ruminant mammals of Africa and SE Asia. Although they are also called mouse deer, chevrotains are not closely related to true deerdeer,
ruminant mammal of the family Cervidae, found in most parts of the world except Australia. Antlers, solid bony outgrowths of the skull, develop in the males of most species and are shed and renewed annually.
..... Click the link for more information. , and are classified in a family of their own.

The smallest of the hoofed mammals, they stand 8 to 14 in. (20–66 cm) high at the shoulder, depending on the species. The body is rabbitlike, with an arched back; the legs are very slender and end in small feet; the snout is tapered and somewhat piglike. Their small size makes them easy and important prey for snakes, crocodiles, eagles, and forest-dwelling cats. The reddish-brown coat is spotted with white in most species. Chevrotains lack antlers but have tusklike upper canine teeth, used by the males for fighting. The upper incisors are lacking.

Solitary, nocturnal animals of thick forests, chevrotains browse on leaves, twigs, and fruit. They sometimes rest in the branches of low trees. The water chevrotain (Hyemoschus aquaticus) of Africa is always found near water and takes to the water when pursued. The other chevrotains (Moschiola and Tragulus species) are found from India to Indonesia and the Philippines, and some also can swim underwater. Chevrotains are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Tragulidae.

chevrotain

[′shev·rə‚tān] (vertebrate zoology) The common name for four species of mammals constituting the family Tragulidae in the order Artiodactyla. Also known as mouse deer.

chevrotain

chev·ro·tain

chevrotain

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Synonyms for chevrotain

noun very small hornless deer-like ruminant of tropical Asia and west Africa

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