The Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus) is a musk deer found in the mountain forests of Northeast Asia. Its is most common in the taiga of southern Siberia, but is also found in parts of Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria and the Korean peninsula. It is largely nocturnal, and migrates only over short distances. It prefers altitudes of more than 2600 m. Adults are small, weighing 7-17 kg.
The Siberian musk deer is classified as threatened by the IUCN. It is hunted for its musk gland, which fetches prices as high as $45,000 per kilogram. Only a few tens of grams can be extracted from an adult male. It is possible to remove the gland without killing the deer, but this is seldom done.
There is some speculation that Stem cell research could provide an invitro method of generating large quantities of an identical cell mass.
A distinct subspecies roams the island of Sakhalin.
[edit] References
- ^ Nyambayar, B., Mix, H. & Tsytsulina, K. (2008). Moschus mosciferus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 March 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of vulnerable.
[edit] External links
