LAST UP: #8 seed Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus) vs #9 seed Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) #2021MMM 
Tonight's battle is a team effort by @am_anatiala @Mammals_Suck @sexchrlab @AnneWHilborn & me! [gif of man throwing confetti with text saying teamwork make the dream work] #Teamwork #Dreamwork #2021MMM
@am_anatiala @Mammals_Suck @sexchrlab @AnneWHilborn The Musk Deer, Moschus moschiferus, is not a true deer. They are the only surviving member of a group called Moschidae. DNA analyses show musk deer clustering next to the group with cattle (Bos) & Sheep (Ovis): tinyurl.com/2rbenmna #NotADeer #2021MMM
@am_anatiala @Mammals_Suck @sexchrlab @AnneWHilborn Sometimes called Count Ungulata (@am_anatiala , 2021, this volume), the Musk Deer has a peculiar boys-only decoration: fang-like tusks, which take the place of antlers. This fang-tastic animal is found in mountain forests from southern Siberia to the Korean peninsula. #2021MMM
Weighing almost 17 kg (~78 stoats!), the Musk Deer really likes lichen! Up to 70% of its winter diet can be the algae-fungus symbiont (here's another similar relationship in the deep sea! kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.338…) #2021MMM #StoatsAsMeasurement
Coming in at up to 8x heavier than the Musk Deer is the Aoudad (659 stoats or 145 kg)! While native to the mountains of north Africa, it has been introduced to Europe & southwest America (Gray & Simpson 1980) tinyurl.com/2m3tbmtf #2021MMM #StoatsAsMeasurement
Aoudad, Ammotragus lervia, has sometimes mistakenly been classified as a sheep, but it is actually more closely related to goats pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21943106/ #NotASheep #2021MMM
The Aoudad is also a fan of lichens, in addition to grasses and bushes. A true desert animal, it is able to get all the water it needs from the food it eats. #2021MMM
Tonight both hooved mammals find themselves in the Golden Mountains of Altai, a @UNSECO World Heritage Site in southern Siberia protecting endangered species like snow leopards & fragile habitats like mountain grasslands #AdvantageNotADeer #2021MMM tinyurl.com/5hc7eu64
@unseco Musk Deer is enjoying his home territory in a particularly rich lichen foraging patch. #Yum #2021MMM
@unseco Wanting to approach the lichen patch from ~15 feet away, the Aoudad signals HIS alpha status to intimidate this smaller Musk "deer." Aoudad 'raises the fringe hair over his withers and then licks his own muzzle!' #TakeThat! (Gray & Simpson 1980) #2021MMM
@unseco Not wanting to move away from his lichen patch, Musk Deer stands straight with 'ears erect, displaying canines to rivals with lips vibrating, and the rear part of its body waggling' (Meng et al 2012) #DontYouDare #2021MMM tinyurl.com/4r4j6xw7
@unseco Aoudad likewise escalates his intimidation tactics: Aoudad 'utters a low guttural growl' (Gray & Simpson 1980) #2021MMM
@unseco Musk Deer COUNTERS by aggressively circling the larger "sheep" and then retreating while barking (Meng et al 2012, Cap et al. 2008) #DidYouGetMyMessage #2021MMM tinyurl.com/58w3e892
@unseco Aoudad lowers his horns about to charge at the Musk Deer, gathering himself to reach a 'closing velocity up to 80.7 km/hr (50 mph)' (Gray & Simpson 1980) #2021MMM
@unseco Circling with the quickness like they do, Musk Deer 'slashes his tusks on the <Aoudad's> hindlegs, hindquarters, and flanks, tearing the skin and flesh' (Sathyakumar et al. 1992) #2021MMM
@unseco Head down, Aoudad switches tactics to the side-by-side 'close butting, head shoving, and hooking the horns' that Aoudads do (Gray & Simpson 1980) #2021MMM
@unseco But the Musk Deer springs and 'drives his front hooves into <Aoudad's> head, pushing down'! (Sathyakumar et al. 1992) #2021MMM
@unseco Aoudad turns to trot retreat when the Musk Deer 'furiously chases Aoudad using his tusks to slash down fiercely' (Sathyakumar et al. 1992) until the Aoudad runs at top speed to escape this vicious berserker! #2021MMM
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