World's smallest ungulates, lost for 30 years, spotted in Vietnam

For the first time in almost three decades, the silver-backed chevrotain or mouse deer that is thought to be on the verge of extinction has been spotted in a jungle in Vietnam.
 

According to a study published on November 11 in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, the species, Tragulus versicolor, was last recorded in 1990 when Vietnamese and Russian researchers obtained a specimen killed by a hunter.

Recently, based on information from local residents, scientists set camera traps for five months in a jungle area near the central coastal city of Nha Trang, resulting in 275 photos of the species. Later, they set up another 29 cameras in the same area, recording 1,881 photos of the chevrotain over five months.

The silver-backed chevrotain is among the top 25 most wanted lost species in the Search for Lost Species of the Global Wildlife Conservation report./.

VNA