What is "chevrotain"

Chevrotain \Chev`ro*tain"\, n. [F. chevrotin, OF. chevrot little goat, roe, dim. of chevre goat. See Chevron.] (Zo["o]l.) A small ruminant of the family Tragulid[ae] a allied to the musk deer. It inhabits Africa and the East Indies. See Kanchil.

n. Any of several small hornless ruminants, of the genera (taxlink Hyemoschus genus noshow=1) and (taxlink Tragulus genus noshow=1), native to tropical rainforests.

n. very small hornless deer-like ruminant of tropical Asia and west Africa [syn: mouse deer]

Chevrotains, also known as mouse-deer, are small ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, the only members of the infraorder Tragulina. The ten extant species are in three genera, but several species also are known only from fossils. The extant species are found in forests in South and Southeast Asia, with a single species in the rainforests of Central and West Africa. They are solitary or live in pairs, and feed almost exclusively on plant material. Depending on exact species, the Asian species weigh between , and include the smallest ungulates in the world. The African chevrotain is considerably larger at .