| Philippine mouse-deer[1] | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Tragulidae |
| Genus: | Tragulus |
| Species: | T. nigricans
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tragulus nigricans Thomas, 1892
| |
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Tragulus napu nigricans | |
The Philippine mouse-deer (Tragulus nigricans), also known as the Balabac chevrotain or pilandok (in Filipino), is a small, nocturnal ruminant, which is endemic to Balabac and nearby smaller islands (Bugsuk and Ramos) southwest of Palawan in the Philippines. The genus Tragulus means 'little goat' and the Philippine mouse-deer has been named so due to the horizontal pupils of the eyes. This position of the pupil allows for an increase in peripheral depth perception. It has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the greater mouse-deer (T. napu). In 2004, though, T. nigricans was separated from T. napu as its own species due to differences in skull morphology (skull measurements).[3] Contrary to its common name, the Philippine mouse-deer does not belong to the true deer family (Cervidae), but is rather more closely connected to antelope and antelope-like bovids; it is a member of the chevrotain family, a grouping of some of the world's smallest hoofed mammals.
- ^ Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Widmann, P. (2015). "Tragulus nigricans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T22065A61977991. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T22065A61977991.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Meijaard, E.; Groves, C. P. (2004). "A taxonomic revision of the Tragulus mouse-deer (Artiodactyla)" (PDF). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 140: 63–102. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00091.x.