One of the 12 deer on WAnimals
Mammals · Artiodactyla · Moschidae
Alpine Musk Deer
Moschus chrysogaster
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The Himalayan musk deer is a small, primitive ungulate of the high-altitude forests of the Himalaya and the Tibetan plateau. Like the other musk deer it has no antlers and the males display curved upper canines. It lives alone on steep ground and feeds on lichens, leaves and shoots. The musk gland of the males is one of the most expensive raw materials in the world, and hunting for the illegal trade has decimated the species throughout its range.
Weight
11 kg – 18 kg
Size
80 cm – 1 m
Lifespan
15 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Crepuscular
Active above all at dawn and dusk.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- Its musk gland has fetched prices higher than gold on the illegal market, and since hunters cannot tell the sexes apart using snares, several females and young die for every productive male.
- It leaps and climbs over rock with extraordinary agility for an ungulate, and can move along ledges where only ibexes can follow it.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Coniferous forest and rhododendron scrub of the Himalaya, between 2,500 and 4,500 metres
- Sexual maturity
- 21 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 6.2 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 1
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moschus_chrysogaster
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 14 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Alpine Musk Deer — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
EndangeredRed Panda
Ailurus fulgens
Black Snub-nosed Monkey
Rhinopithecus bieti
VulnerableSiberian Musk Deer
Moschus moschiferus
VulnerableSnow Leopard
Panthera uncia
VulnerableAsiatic Black Bear
Ursus thibetanus
Himalayan Goral
Naemorhedus goral
How to help
The alpine musk deer is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 9 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about alpine musk deer.
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