# Siberian musk deer (*Moschus moschiferus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/moschus-moschiferus  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), also called the Siberian musk-deer, is a mammal in the family Moschidae, order Artiodactyla. It is a medium-sized herbivore with an adult body mass of 13 kg, living a terrestrial, nocturnal life in shrubland. The IUCN Red List classifies the siberian musk deer as Vulnerable, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 13 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 13 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 13.9 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | shrubland |
| Gestation | 169 days – 195 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.62 |
| Age at maturity | 15.8 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Moschidae
- genus: Moschus
- species: *Moschus moschiferus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Moschus moschiferus arcticus*, *Moschus moschiferus moschiferus*, *Moschus moschiferus parvipes*, *Moschus moschiferus turowi*, *Moschus sibiricus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the siberian musk deer?

The siberian musk deer is a mammal in the family Moschidae, order Artiodactyla, and genus Moschus.

### How heavy is a siberian musk deer?

An adult Siberian musk deer has a body mass of 13 kg, which places it in the medium size class.

### What does the siberian musk deer eat?

The siberian musk deer is a herbivore.

### What habitat does the siberian musk deer live in?

The siberian musk deer lives in shrubland, where it is terrestrial and nocturnal.

### Is the siberian musk deer endangered?

The siberian musk deer is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a siberian musk deer live?

The siberian musk deer has a lifespan of 13 years, with values up to 13.9 years reported.

### Who named the siberian musk deer?

The siberian musk deer, Moschus moschiferus, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/moschus-moschiferus