Mouse deer
November 13, 2019 8:32 PM Subscribe
Mouse, dear?
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:44 PM on November 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:44 PM on November 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
No thanks, I'm trying to cut back.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:54 PM on November 13, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:54 PM on November 13, 2019 [5 favorites]
C:\>DIR MOUSE
2019-11-13 11:56 PM MOUSE <DIR>
posted by clawsoon at 8:57 PM on November 13, 2019 [14 favorites] Scouse beer
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:14 PM on November 13, 2019
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:14 PM on November 13, 2019
🎶 we'll take our own chances, and pay our own dues / the silver backed chevrotain, I 🎶
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 10:22 PM on November 13, 2019
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 10:22 PM on November 13, 2019
Mouse-k-deers always come in packs of three.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 11:32 PM on November 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Hairy Lobster at 11:32 PM on November 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
I like this paragraph. Packed full o' stuff.
posted by pracowity at 11:54 PM on November 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
The silver-backed chevrotain is a half-painted beast. Behind the russet head, neck and front legs lies a silver-grey body and hind legs rounded off by a white, grizzled bottom. Though probably preyed on by leopards, wild dogs and pythons, scientists fear that snares laid by hunters have pushed the species to the brink of extinction. Despite the name, they are neither mice nor deer, but the world’s smallest ungulate, or hoofed animal.But I hate to think of their poor little russet heads and grizzled bottoms being hunted through the wilds of Vietnam.
posted by pracowity at 11:54 PM on November 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
I know this is supposed to be good for this cute little thing, but I worry that it'll be the worst thing that happened to it because it's so cute. Next thing you know it'll be poking its head out of a handbag in the Upper West Side, drugged up to keep it collapsing from anxiety, habitat back in Vietnam being destroyed to feed a fleeting influencer fad.
posted by clawsoon at 3:23 AM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by clawsoon at 3:23 AM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
Mousedeers are native to this region! and so you can find it throughout, not just Vietnam. It's such an iconic little beast that in many of the indigenous cultures, it exists in folktales as a trickster character (Twitter thread).
posted by cendawanita at 3:28 AM on November 14, 2019 [9 favorites]
posted by cendawanita at 3:28 AM on November 14, 2019 [9 favorites]
Where do you live?
In M'ouse, dear.
posted by lalochezia at 5:42 AM on November 14, 2019 [3 favorites]
In M'ouse, dear.
posted by lalochezia at 5:42 AM on November 14, 2019 [3 favorites]
More closely related to whales than mouses.
But more closely related to deer than whales.
did you forget that whales are artiodactyls, because I did
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 6:35 AM on November 14, 2019
But more closely related to deer than whales.
did you forget that whales are artiodactyls, because I did
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 6:35 AM on November 14, 2019
It has tiny hooves! Tiny tip-tapping hooves.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:38 AM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:38 AM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
Also, pudu.
Pudu! (youtube link)
Pudu!!
That last is a link to Bob Harris's defunct blog, which is where I learned about the tiniest South American deer. He has, or had, a series of funny posts. Searching 'pudu' gets them.
There seems to be an ecological niche of wee quivering beasties that tiny deer have evolved to fill.
And cendawanita, that's the best twitter thread ever.
posted by jrochest at 8:47 AM on November 14, 2019 [4 favorites]
Pudu! (youtube link)
Pudu!!
That last is a link to Bob Harris's defunct blog, which is where I learned about the tiniest South American deer. He has, or had, a series of funny posts. Searching 'pudu' gets them.
There seems to be an ecological niche of wee quivering beasties that tiny deer have evolved to fill.
And cendawanita, that's the best twitter thread ever.
posted by jrochest at 8:47 AM on November 14, 2019 [4 favorites]
The new Pokemon looks pretty cool.
posted by mhum at 11:32 AM on November 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by mhum at 11:32 AM on November 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
My favorite pudu. I am now seeking mouse deer in comic form, as I'm sure they will be equally adorable.
posted by carrioncomfort at 12:18 PM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by carrioncomfort at 12:18 PM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
Are you sure they aren't messing with us? Like those stuffed jackalopes mounted behind the bar in Wyoming saloons?
posted by JackFlash at 5:23 PM on November 14, 2019
posted by JackFlash at 5:23 PM on November 14, 2019
I am now seeking mouse deer in comic form, as I'm sure they will be equally adorable.
when i was growing up, these local animations were legendary (unfortunately no subtitles). These days, our best-known animation studios are cgi-based (and pretty good! i think one of their latest movies in this studio just found themselves in an unexpected oscars campaign), but at least these are subtitled in english.
posted by cendawanita at 6:35 PM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
when i was growing up, these local animations were legendary (unfortunately no subtitles). These days, our best-known animation studios are cgi-based (and pretty good! i think one of their latest movies in this studio just found themselves in an unexpected oscars campaign), but at least these are subtitled in english.
posted by cendawanita at 6:35 PM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
Metafilter: I came for the jackalope, but stuck around for the pudu.
posted by Chuffy at 7:46 PM on November 14, 2019
posted by Chuffy at 7:46 PM on November 14, 2019
Mouse deer to the left of me
Jackalopes to the right
Here I am
Stuck in the middle Pudu
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:00 PM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
Jackalopes to the right
Here I am
Stuck in the middle Pudu
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:00 PM on November 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
I feel like everyone should be aware of this extremely important information.
posted by notquitemaryann at 9:50 PM on November 14, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by notquitemaryann at 9:50 PM on November 14, 2019 [5 favorites]
This is about the Mouse Deer, as you will see, if you are patient enough.
In the summer of 1966 I was the point man on a long range patrol somewhere between the Song Be and the La Nha River valley. I nearly stepped on a huge boa constrictor that was lying across our route of travel. This critter was laid out in a nearly straight line, half hidden by secondary and primary foliage. A huge bulge in its body a couple of feet from its head indicated that it had recently eaten something.
I actually had put my foot on it before I saw it, and it responded by hissing at me. I was so startled that I nearly shot it before I regained some measure of composure. I just stood there for a moment looking at it: six or seven feet to the right of me, six or seven feet to the left of me. It's head was wider that both my hands placed side by side. It was clear that it just wanted to be left alone to digest its meal in peace, and anyhow I didn't want to get near its head.
I looked back at my team leader, standing a few meters behind. He gave me an inquisitive look, so I said, "Snake," in a soft voice. You know, trying to be quiet. He looked at me with an expression I read to mean: WTF you asshole, this is Vietnam. It's all snakes here.
I pointed to the ground before me, and he stepped up to see. "Holy shit," was his professional assessment. The RTO, standing behind the TL stepped up to see what was going on. His comment was similar to the TL's. Pretty soon all six of us were standing around looking at this huge snake. We had a short discussion, trying to figure if we could bring the critter back with us. Our discussion was not fruitful, so we left it in peace.
Keep in mind that we were on a recon patrol, not a nature walk. Anyhow, I looked about the area, and I saw a bunch of these mouse deers. I'm pretty sure the snake had recently eaten one of them. They were actually pretty tame, for, while they didn't walk right up to us, they didn't seem to disturbed by our presence. For a years I thought they were a critter called an agouti, a sort of large rodent. I guessed I had seen a pack of agouti. But eventually I learned that agouti lived in South America or some place, not Vietnam. Now I guess what I saw was a herd of mouse deers.
posted by mule98J at 10:53 AM on November 16, 2019 [6 favorites]
In the summer of 1966 I was the point man on a long range patrol somewhere between the Song Be and the La Nha River valley. I nearly stepped on a huge boa constrictor that was lying across our route of travel. This critter was laid out in a nearly straight line, half hidden by secondary and primary foliage. A huge bulge in its body a couple of feet from its head indicated that it had recently eaten something.
I actually had put my foot on it before I saw it, and it responded by hissing at me. I was so startled that I nearly shot it before I regained some measure of composure. I just stood there for a moment looking at it: six or seven feet to the right of me, six or seven feet to the left of me. It's head was wider that both my hands placed side by side. It was clear that it just wanted to be left alone to digest its meal in peace, and anyhow I didn't want to get near its head.
I looked back at my team leader, standing a few meters behind. He gave me an inquisitive look, so I said, "Snake," in a soft voice. You know, trying to be quiet. He looked at me with an expression I read to mean: WTF you asshole, this is Vietnam. It's all snakes here.
I pointed to the ground before me, and he stepped up to see. "Holy shit," was his professional assessment. The RTO, standing behind the TL stepped up to see what was going on. His comment was similar to the TL's. Pretty soon all six of us were standing around looking at this huge snake. We had a short discussion, trying to figure if we could bring the critter back with us. Our discussion was not fruitful, so we left it in peace.
Keep in mind that we were on a recon patrol, not a nature walk. Anyhow, I looked about the area, and I saw a bunch of these mouse deers. I'm pretty sure the snake had recently eaten one of them. They were actually pretty tame, for, while they didn't walk right up to us, they didn't seem to disturbed by our presence. For a years I thought they were a critter called an agouti, a sort of large rodent. I guessed I had seen a pack of agouti. But eventually I learned that agouti lived in South America or some place, not Vietnam. Now I guess what I saw was a herd of mouse deers.
posted by mule98J at 10:53 AM on November 16, 2019 [6 favorites]
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posted by Beardman at 8:39 PM on November 13, 2019 [2 favorites]