Lesser mouse-deer
The lesser mouse-deer, lesser Malay chevrotain, or kanchil is a species of even-toed ungulate in the family Tragulidae.Distribution
The lesser mouse-deer is found widely across Southeast Asia in Indochina, Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.Description
It is the smallest known hoofed mammal, its mature size being as little as 45 cm and 2 kg. It is threatened by predation by feral dogs.
Etymology
The Malay or Indonesian name kancil, means both mouse-deer and 'clever person'. The generic name Tragulus, is composed of Tragos, 'goat' in Greek, and –ulus, meaning 'tiny' in Latin.Folktale
In an Indonesian and Malaysian folklore, the mouse-deer Sang Kancil is a cunning trickster similar to Br'er Rabbit from the Uncle Remus tales, even sharing some story plots, like when they both trick enemies pretending to be dead or inanimate, or lose a race to slower opponents.
