tragulusとは 意味・読み方・使い方

Tragulus is a genus of even-toed ungulates in the Tragulidae family that are known as mouse-deer. Tragos refers to a goat in Greek, while –ulus in Latin means 'tiny'. With a weight of 0.7–8.0 kilograms (1.5–18 lb) and a length of 40–75 centimetres (16–30 in) they are the smallest ungulates in the world, though the largest species of mouse-deer surpass some species of Neotragus antelopes in size. The mouse-deer are restricted to southeast Asia from far southern China (south Yunnan) to the Philippines (Balabac) and Java. Following recent taxonomic changes, several of the species in this genus are poorly known, but all are believed to be mainly nocturnal and feed on leaves, fruits, grass and other vegetation in the dense forest undergrowth. They are solitary or live in pairs, and the males have elongated canine teeth (neither gender has horns) that are used in fights. Unlike other members of their family, the Tragulus mouse-deer lack obvious pale stripes/spots on the upperparts.