Musk Deer's Diet
The musk deer is about the size of a medium sized dog, and the males have long, distinctive fangs and musk glands that are prized in Chinese traditional medicine. Learning more about the diet of the musk deer can help you understand these endangered animals.
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Plant Eaters
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Musk deers are herbivorous and they are known to consume leaves, buds, bark, herbaceous plants, and lichens. According to I Love India, musk deer feed on more than 130 different species of plants.
Seasonal Food
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The area a musk deer lives in and its temperature will determine what that musk deer is able to eat. In the winter, musk deer in the Himalayan mountains and Siberia eat terrestrial bushy lichens and arboreal lichens. During the summer and in warmer locations, their diets are composed mainly of grasses, buckwheat, geranium and spirea.
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Time Frame
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The musk deer is primarily nocturnal and will forage during the evening or in the early morning. During winter months, when food is scarce, they will climb trees and eat the bark and twigs.
Location
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Musk deer are usually found in dense forests and scrub areas at elevations that range between 3,000 and 14,000 feet. They will move to higher elevations in cold weather looking for coniferous trees that do not shed their leaves.
Considerations
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A musk deer is very defensive of its feeding territory. Musk deer are solitary, and males and females will only gather to mate.
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