Cabarga - description, habitat, lifestyle

By musk deer is meant a hoofed animal that is shrouded in myths and superstitions. The peculiarity of these individuals is the presence of canines, which makes them similar to vampires. When a person first encounters this type of animal, he tries to move as far as possible. In today's article we will look at everything related to the musk-deer, so that you can make your own opinion.

Description

It was this deer that was considered a vampire for a long period of time, because people believed that with the help of canines he sucked the blood of his victim. If we translate the name of the species from the Greek language, then we can literally say that it is “musk carrier”.

1. If you start from external characteristics, the animals look like ordinary deer. They can be stretched up to 100 cm across the body, sometimes more, with a height of 70 cm along the withers. The tail is about 5 cm more, it is not too long.The weight category of the grown-up individual fluctuates around 10-18 kg.
2. Individuals of female gender less dimensional than the males. All the hind limbs are elongated, so that the withers are located below the sacrum. The tail is shortened, it is not visible. A distinctive feature is the absence of horns. In males, the fangs are long and bent. They come out of the mouth by 8 cm on average.
3. The males have iron in the abdominal cavity, which contributes to the secretion of a musky odor. The hooves are refined, pointed, can be moved apart widely enough. The fur breaks quickly, but it is thick and elongated. Pigmented in brownish or brownish tone.
4. From the sides, the animal is painted with light gray spots. Wool almost all consists of a guard hair, a thin little gun. Due to this structure, animals can retain heat while on the snow.
5. The fur has a water-repellent impregnation, so that the animal does not get wet much. Individuals cross the water sources, then go to the land and literally shake off the liquid. This allows them to overcome the cold and other bad weather conditions.

Nutrition

1. The basis of the basic menu consists of terrestrial and epiphytic lichens, this is especially important during the winter season. This season lichens are given more than 80% of the menu volume. Such addictions in terms of food are caused by places of distribution, where there is nothing else.
2. The cedar and fir helps to diversify the menu. Also, individuals are not opposed to feast on umbrella vegetation, blueberry leaves, ferns, horsetail, other varieties of such a plan.
3. Individuals prefer to search for food near woody vegetation. It is important that lichens are present nearby. Animals gnaw them from broken and fallen branches, as well as collect from the ground or snow masses. When individuals get food, they are able to overcome long distances with obstacles.

Behavior

1. Individuals always prefer to live in the taiga, where there are darkened areas. They also love rocky terrain. According to the nature of their stay, they prefer sedentary instead of nomadism. Not going in huge flocks. They live either as a couple, or as a family, or as a group of small size (up to 4 individuals).In the summer, individual plots of the area are about 20 hectares, and in winter there is enough 10 hectares.
2. Family members who are discussed rarely quarrel, mostly smooth conflicts and behave peacefully. However, they will not mess with strangers, they immediately show aggression. When the mating season begins, individuals of the male gender are fighting for females. They chase each other, fangs and hooves. Particularly strong blows occur on the neck, ridge and croup.
3. The fight can take a long time, so each opponent tries to knock the other onto the ground first. He slaughters him to death so that the fight will end soon. These animals are great jumpers. They possess agility, maneuverability. Some jump on a high cliff or famously change direction on the run. They trick traces better than hares.

Breeding

1. Individuals fall into the rut, for the period of reproduction they exclude a single mode of existence. From about the end of autumn or the beginning of winter, male members of the family are showing unprecedented activity in terms of marks left around the perimeter of the territory.During the day they can do it more than fifty times. To this end, they use a secret that is produced by the glands. Tags are left on elevated sites.
2. In this way, animals are trying to expand the boundaries of their personal areas. Therefore, they meet with the neighborhood, the struggle for ownership can be unleashed. Next come the fight for individuals of female sex. Males are extremely aggressive, often reaching death.
3. Initially, the males lead the ring battle, at a distance of five meters walk around each other. The fur rises, the canines become bare even more. Thus individuals want to show their strength. Usually, young animals leave without a fight, giving the leadership to the older generation. But if the individuals are equal in strength, then the fight will be truly fierce. They do not think about a possible loss, causing each other lacerated wounds.
4. Of course, the winner gets the female. After mating, she bears several cubs that live with their parents for up to six months. On average, all individuals live in captivity for about 10 years, and in the natural environment - 5 years. In the open spaces of the Russian Federation, there are about 125.000 individuals.

Lifestyle

1. The represented individuals feel quite comfortable and safe in gloomy and taiga forests. Only a rare predator can sneak up on such animals silently. As for wolves and bears, such individuals will not be able to do this. Deer immediately notice them.
2. The musk deer has excellent hearing, so for a few tens of meters it can hear breaking branches. It is the crackling that will make the animal understand that a predator is hunting it. The considered individuals will not hesitate and immediately jerk from the spot.
3. It is worth noting that even in rare cases, it is possible to catch deer by such clever predators as marten, lynx and wolverine. The individuals in question are very resourceful. They are able to rapidly change movement at right angles at high speed. Animals also trail the tracks, as hares do.
4. Cabaret manages to catch predators only when strong snowstorms begin in the forest. At this time the wind is noisy, and the branches are constantly breaking. At such a moment, the animal simply cannot hear the danger approaching. A deer can be saved if in time it sees a predator stalking.
5. The problem is that animals can not run for a long time at high speed.Despite the fact that the deer are very resourceful, shortness of breath appears during the run. Because of this feature, the animal is forced to stop at a breather. In a straight deer will not be able to escape from the wolverine or lynx.
6. It is noteworthy that individuals have learned in the highlands to defend themselves and escape from the pursuit of predators. Deer constantly dodge, tangling trail. Then musk deer climbs along narrow paths to places that are inaccessible to anyone except their relatives. In safety the deer can rest easy.
7. Due to the special physiology, individuals are able to jump from the ledge to the ledge. These deer can wade along steep and narrow paths. In this case, the eaves can be achieved only a few tens of centimeters. It is worth noting that the deer can only escape from wild predators, a man has gotten his hand at hunting for such artiodactyls.

Value for man

1. It is noteworthy that the hunt for the individuals in question has been conducted since ancient times. Previously, people wanted to get an unusual skull with fangs. Currently, hunting for animals is carried out because of the special musky gland.In the wild, males jetted places to attract females in the mating season.
2. Human musk is necessary for cosmetic and therapeutic purposes. In remote times in Arab countries, local healers mentioned in the annals of the healing power of musk. The Greeks and Romans used such a secret to create pleasant incense.
3. In eastern countries, healers used musk to prepare medicines in the fight against rheumatism, impotence and cardiovascular pathologies. In Europe, this secret has become popular in the perfume and cosmetics industry.
4. In China, musk is also successfully used in the creation of various medicines. Such animals reach sexual maturity at the age of 2 years. From this moment on, iron begins to fully function.
5. Musk is located below the abdomen almost near the genitals. To extract the secret, the animal is killed and takes out the gland. It is dried and ground into powder. The result is about 50 grams. ready means.
6. It is interesting that such a secret of animal origin is considered the most expensive on earth. The composition of the gland is extremely complex.Due to the valuable compounds it is successfully used for medicinal purposes. In Europe, this musk is used exclusively in the perfume industry.

Currently, in Saudi Arabia, the animals in question are being bred specifically for the purpose of obtaining valuable secrets. It is noteworthy that people have learned to humanely extract a secret. They catch a deer, put it to sleep and inject a special spatula into the gland. As a result, musk comes out.

Video: Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus)