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Javan mouse deer
The Javan mouse‑deer is a tiny, secretive ungulate native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, where it lives in the dense understory of lowland forest. Despite its name, it is neither a mouse nor a true deer, but the smallest hoofed mammal in the world. With a reddish‑brown coat and delicate white throat markings, it blends easily into dappled forest light.
Our female Javan mouse deer lives upstairs in the Tropical House, in the bottom of the bird aviary.
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Artiodactyla
Family:
Tragulidae
About the Javan mouse deer
These animals are primarily herbivores and frugivores, feeding on fallen fruit, leaves, shoots, and other soft vegetation. Their small size and quiet movements allow them to forage unnoticed, slipping through leaf litter and low vegetation with ease.
Javan mouse‑deer are usually solitary or seen in pairs. They are naturally shy and rely on remaining still or darting quickly into cover when threatened. Females give birth after a gestation of around 140 to 150 days, and the young are precocial, meaning they can stand and move very quickly after birth.
Conservation
The species is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but some local populations in Southeast Asia are affected by habitat loss as forests are cleared or fragmented for agriculture and development. Protection of remaining forest habitats across Indonesia plays an important role in securing the long‑term future of this small but ecologically significant ungulate.