Lesser mouse-deer
Tragulus kanchil (Raffles, 1821)
The lesser mouse-deer (Tragulus kanchil) is a species in the family Tragulidae, order Artiodactyla. Recorded adults weigh about 3.85 kg and live up to 14 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Quick facts about the lesser mouse-deer
- Weight
- 3.85 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 14 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 16.7 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 154 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 4.96 months – 5.15 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the lesser mouse-deer live?
Not recorded
What is the lesser mouse-deer?
The lesser mouse-deer, lesser oriental chevrotain, lesser Malay chevrotain, or kanchil (Tragulus kanchil) is a species of even-toed ungulate in the family Tragulidae.
From the Wikipedia article “Lesser mouse-deer” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lesser_mouse-deer&oldid=1379747641), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the lesser mouse-deer endangered?
The lesser mouse-deer is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the lesser mouse-deer classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderArtiodactyla
- familyTragulidae
- genusTragulus
- SpeciesTragulus kanchil (Raffles, 1821)
Synonyms Moschus kanchil, Tragulus fulvicollis, Tragulus kanchil brevipes, Tragulus kanchil carimatae, Tragulus kanchil fulvicollis, Tragulus kanchil insularis, Tragulus kanchil lampensis, Tragulus kanchil lancavensis, Tragulus kanchil longipes, Tragulus kanchil masae, Tragulus kanchil mergatus, Tragulus kanchil pallidus, Tragulus kanchil penangensis, Tragulus kanchil pinius, Tragulus kanchil russeus, Tragulus kanchil russulus, Tragulus natunae, Tragulus pallidus, Tragulus williamsoni
Other names and names in other languages (40)
- KancilEnglish
- Lesser Indo-Malayan chevrotainEnglish
- Lesser Indo-Malayan chevrotainEnglish
- Lesser Malay chevrotainEnglish
- Lesser Malay chevrotainEnglish
- Lesser mousedeerEnglish
- Lesser mousedeerEnglish
- Lesser Oriental chevrotainEnglish
- Lesser Oriental chevrotainEnglish
- Mouse deerEnglish
- Mouse deerEnglish
- غزال فاري صغيرArabic
- شفرتي شرقي صغيرArabic
- شفرتين ملايو الصغيرArabic
- غزال فأري ملايو الصغيرArabic
- খুর ফইট্টাBangla
- Tràgul petitCatalan
- KleinkantschilGerman
- Kleines KantschilGerman
- Μικρός Ανατολικός ΤράγουλοςGreek
- trágulo pequeñoSpanish
- Ciervo ratón pequeño o kanchilSpanish
- Chevrotain kanchilFrench
- Petit tragul malaisFrench
- KanchilIndonesian
- Pelanduk KancilIndonesian
- ヒメマメジカJapanese
- カンチルマメジカJapanese
- ក្តាន់ញ៉ែងតូចKhmer
- 작은쥐사슴Korean
- SmådverghjortNorwegian Bokmål
- Kleine KantjilDutch
- kanczyl orientalnyPolish
- Малый оленёкRussian
- กระจงหนูThai
- กระจงเล็กThai
- Küçük Doğu ŞevroteniTurkish
- 鼠鹿Chinese
- 小鼷鹿Chinese
- Xi-luChinese
Relatives of the lesser mouse-deer
Other species in the same genus Tragulus.

Java mouse-deer
Tragulus javanicus

Greater mouse-deer
Tragulus napu
Vietnam mouse-deer
Tragulus versicolor

Philippine mouse-deer
Tragulus nigricans
Williamson's mouse-deer
Tragulus williamsoni
CompareLesser mouse-deer vs Java mouse-deerLesser mouse-deer vs Greater mouse-deerLesser mouse-deer vs Vietnam mouse-deerLesser mouse-deer vs Philippine mouse-deer
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the lesser mouse-deer?
An adult lesser mouse-deer weighs 3.85 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the lesser mouse-deer endangered?
The lesser mouse-deer is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the lesser mouse-deer live?
The lesser mouse-deer has a recorded lifespan of 14 years.
How long is the lesser mouse-deer pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 154 days.
What kind of animal is the lesser mouse-deer?
The lesser mouse-deer (Tragulus kanchil) belongs to the family Tragulidae in the order Artiodactyla.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Lesser mouse-deer (Tragulus kanchil). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-mouse-deer
“Lesser mouse-deer (Tragulus kanchil).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-mouse-deer.
@misc{lesser_mouse_deer_2026,
title = {Lesser mouse-deer (Tragulus kanchil)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-mouse-deer},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}