A tiny mouse-deer was born at the Bristol Zoo in the United Kingdom last month. The lesser Malayan mouse-deer, a distant relative of deer, will weigh about 3 pounds fully grown and stand 8 inches tall, the height of a pencil. The gender of the mouse-deer is not yet known. The species eat flowers and vegetables and usually live in forests in Southeast Asia. 

A similar species, the Vietnam “fanged mouse-deer,” was rediscovered in 2019 after thought to be extinct. Previous to the sighting two years ago, the last known scientific recording of this species, known as the silver-backed chevrotain (Tragulus versicolor), occurred nearly 30 years ago. The silver-backed chevrotain is the world’s smallest ungulate (hoofed animal). It is about the size of a rabbit or small cat.

The Malayan mouse-deer born at the Bristol Zoo comes from parents who were brought to the zoo as part of a breeding program to help the species. 

Paige Bwye, senior mammal keeper, said: “It will be a little while until we are able to determine the gender of the fawn as they’re so small and quite shy. It’s doing really well though, and has recently started to discover new tastes, such as sweet potato.

“They are absolutely fascinating to watch. They move around on their pencil-thin legs and munch on flowers and vegetables.”

Read the Bristol Zoo press statement here.