The Telugu name for the Indian spotted chevrotain is jarini pandi, which literally means "a deer and a pig". Consequently, all species with pale-spotted or -striped upper parts are known as "chevrotain" and without are known as "mouse-deer". The names "chevrotain" and "mouse-deer" have been used interchangeably among the Asian species, though recent authorities typically have preferred chevrotain for the species in the genus Moschiola and mouse-deer for the species in the genus Tragulus. The single African species is consistently known as "chevrotain". The word "chevrotain" comes from the Middle French word chevrot (kid or fawn), derived from chèvre (goat). In November 2019, conservation scientists announced that they had photographed silver-backed chevrotains ( Tragulus versicolor) in a Vietnamese forest for the first time since the last confirmed sightings in 1990. Despite their common name of "mouse deer", they are not closely related to true deer. With an average length of 45 cm (18 in) and an average height of 30 cm (12 in), the Java mouse-deer is the smallest surviving ungulate (hoofed) mammal, as well as the smallest artiodactyl (even-toed ungulate). The Asian species weigh between 0.7 and 8.0 kg ( 1 + 1⁄ 2 and 17 + 3⁄ 4 lb), while the African chevrotain is considerably larger, at 7–16 kg (15–35 lb). Chevrotains are the smallest hoofed mammals in the world. They are solitary, or live in loose groupings or pairs, and feed almost exclusively on plant material. The extant species are found in forests in South and Southeast Asia a single species, the water chevrotain, is found in the rainforests of Central and West Africa. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are known only from fossils. Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are diminutive, even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, and are the only living members of the infraorder Tragulina.
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