The silver-backed chevrotain, a mysterious animal about the size of a rabbit but resembling a deer, has been discovered in the wild for the first time in Vietnam in nearly 30 years.

On November 11, the scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution announced that researchers at Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) – a non-governmental organization in Texas (USA) – Recently discovered silver-backed chevrotain (or mouse deer) in the coastal city of Nha Trang.

This is the first time people have photographed a silver-backed crossbow in Vietnam in nearly three decades. The last time the appearance of this species was recorded was when a team of Vietnamese and Russian researchers obtained the carcass of a silver-backed chevrotain from a hunter.

Scientists believe that the tiny animal is on GWC’s list of 25 most sought-after missing species, has fallen victim to the illegal wildlife trade and has disappeared in the wild.

After interviewing villagers and rangers near the city of Nha Trang, the team of scientists installed cameras for five months in areas where the local people reported the presence of geckos. silver.

They recorded 275 photos of this animal. After that, the team continued to set up 29 other cameras in the same area and totaled 1,881 photos of the silver-backed chevrotain in the five months of 2018.

The silver-backed chevrotain, also known as the Vietnamese cheetah or the Vietnamese rat deer (scientific name: Tragulus versicolor) is a species of even-toed ungulate in the cheetah family. They have a deer-like appearance but do not have tear glands. The whole body of the animal is covered with smooth and silky reddish-brown hair, while the chest and lower abdomen have 3 parallel white hairs. Both males and females have no horns.