A rare Indian mouse deer or spotted Chevrotain has been captured in a trap camera in the Kanger Valley National Park here in Chhattisgarh, it was announced on Tuesday.
Among the 12 species of deer found in India, the mouse deer is one of the smallest deer groups in the world, park Director Dhammshil Ganvir said.
It lives in moist forests with thick bushes, he said. It looks like a mixture of a mouse, a pig and a deer put together. It is the only group of deer without antlers.
Due to its shy nature, special research has not been done on them, the official said. They had been until now mostly seen in the tropical moist deciduous forests of South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The Indian mouse deer faces serious threats due to wildfires, encroachment and poaching, Ganvir said.
