Korean Musk Deer, Moschus moschiferus
The Korean musk deer is a type of deer that is known well for its production of musk. The scientific name for this animal is Moschus moschiferus. It belongs to the Animalia Kingdom, Chordata as the phylum, Mammalia class, Cetartiodactla as the order, Moschidae family and Moschus genus. The Korean musk deer lives in China, Korea, Kazakhstan, Russian federation and Democratic People's Republic of Korea. During the 1920s, their population was greatly reduced due to hunting activities. The population of the Korean musk deer was roughly between 60, 000 to 80, 000 in the 1970s. This species of animals live in forests within rocky outcrops and dense shrubs. They are mainly active during the dawn and dusk. They are believed to travel close to four to seven kilometers in the night and return to the same habitat after their hunt for food.
The female has a six month gestation period of sand mainly give birth to between one to three young ones in the months of May and June. Reproduction mainly starts in the in the month of December. It takes at least three to four months for the offspring to wean. The young ones take at least fifteen to seventeen months to mature. Researchers claim the Korean musk deer has a life span estimated to be ten to fourteen years in the wild (Jang, 2010).
[...] (2002). Changes in distribution area of Korean musk deer (Moschus moschiferus parvipes) from 1950s to 1999 in South Korea. Journal of Forestry Research, 135-136. Sokolov, V. E., Kagan, M. Z., Vasilieva, V. S., Prihodko, V. I., & Zinkevich, E. P. (2001). Musk deer (Moschus moschiferus): Reinvestigation of main lipid components from preputial gland secretion. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 71-83. [...]
[...] Scientists say that the musk can be extracted from animals even without killing them, but the poachers opt to get the whole sac (Sokolov et. al, 2001). References Jang, K. H., & Hwang, U. W. (January 01, 2010). Mitochondrial genome of the Korean musk deer Moschus moschiferus (Artiodactyla, Ruminantia, Moschidae). Mitochondrial Dna 65-67. OHTAISHI, N. (June 01, 2005). A review of the distribution of all species of deer (Tragulidae, Moschidae and Cervidae) in China. Mammal Review 125-144. Lee, W., & Rhim, S. [...]
[...] It is present in the male Korean musk deers. This creature has long and curved canine teeth that are well projected below their lips. It measures between three to four inches. The male Korean musk deer tend to have longer canines as compared to the female (Lee, 2002). This renowned species of deer got its name because of its unique characteristics and having the ability to produce an indispensable and valuable product that is used as perfume and medicine. This product is referred to as the musk. [...]
[...] It is believed to stimulate the female Korean musk deer to begin estrus. They breed within the month of November and December and give birth after a six-month gestation period. They can live up to twenty years but have an average life of thirteen to fourteen years. The main threat to the survival for the Korean musk deer is the illegal and unsustainable hunting for musk. Between 1990 and 2001, an estimated adult Korean musk deers were killed through illegal hunting. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
