Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook Columbia Gazetteer American Heritage Coll. Although they are also called mouse deer, chevrotains are not closely related to true deer, and are classified in a family of their own. The smallest of the hoofed mammals, they stand 8 to 14 in. Their small size makes them easy and important prey for snakes, crocodiles, eagles, and forest-dwelling cats. The reddish-brown coat is spotted with white in most species.
Chevrotains lack antlers but have tusklike upper canine teeth, used by the males for fighting.
The upper incisors are lacking. Solitary, nocturnal animals of thick forests, chevrotains browse on leaves, twigs, and fruit. They sometimes rest in the branches of low trees. Chevrotains are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Tragulidae. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.