Knowra Moschidae Moschidae Moschidae is a family of small Asian ruminants that includes the musk deer. Its living members lack antlers and often have enlarged upper canine teeth that resemble tusks.
Ruminantia : Ruminantia is the mammalian suborder of cud-chewing herbivores with multi-chambered stomachs. Moschidae belongs to this broader group of ruminant mammals.
Musk gland : A scent-producing gland in male musk deer that secretes musk during the breeding season. This gland gives the family its familiar name and supplies a strong social scent.
Musk : A strongly scented substance historically obtained from the gland of male musk deer and used in perfumes and medicines. Demand for this secretion has driven intense hunting of musk deer.
Siberian musk deer : A musk deer species, Moschus moschiferus, native to mountain and forest habitats in northeastern Asia. It is a widespread living example of Moschidae outside the Himalaya.
Pecora : Pecora is a ruminant infraorder that includes deer, bovids, giraffes, and musk deer. This is the ruminant branch containing Moschidae and its closest living relatives.
Canine tooth : A pointed tooth near the front of the jaw, used for gripping, piercing, or display. Male musk deer’s enlarged upper canines form the family’s conspicuous tusks.
Traditional Chinese medicine : A system of medical practices developed in China that includes herbal, animal-derived, and other treatments. Musk from Moschidae has been used as an ingredient in some traditional remedies.
Himalayan musk deer : A musk deer species, Moschus leucogaster, found in the Himalaya. Its high-elevation range illustrates the family’s adaptation to Asian mountain habitats.
Artiodactyla : Artiodactyla is the traditional order of even-toed hoofed mammals, including pigs, camels, and ruminants. Moschidae sits within the even-toed ungulate lineage.
Ruminant digestive system : A digestive system that ferments plant food in multiple stomach compartments before cud is chewed again. Like other ruminants, musk deer extract nutrients from fibrous vegetation through foregut fermentation.
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