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Sang Kancil
is one of themost popular
characters inMalaysian folklore thanks
to its fast-thinking and brilliant nature.
In real life, amouse deer like
Sang Kancil
is a small creature about 70 centimeters
long, 30-35 centimeters tall (ground
to shoulder) and around five to eight
kilograms inweight. Mouse deers can
only be found inMalaysia, Borneo and
parts of Indonesia. In Singapore, they
were thought to be regionally extinct until
being rediscovered on an offshore island
in 2008. They survivemostly on fruits
and leaves. They are also believed to be
nocturnal creatures. Due to overhunting
by humans and the loss of their habitat
through rapid deforestation, theMouse
Deer is now in danger of extinction.
Most of us have probably
never heard of or seen a
Black Shrew. In fact, there is
no official record on its size.
But based onwitnesses’
estimations, the creature is
said to be around 20– 100
mm in size. There is only one
recorded specimen found
inMount Kinabalu in Sabah,
Malaysia. The status of the
Black Shrew is still unknown.
They tend to be aggressive
towards each other and are
mostly solitary creatures.
Measuring about 250 centimeters in length and
120-145 centimeters tall (ground to shoulder),
the Sumatran Rhino is the smallest rhinoceros
in theworld. It is alsomuch lighter than other
rhinos, weighing about 500-800 kilograms.The
two-horned rhino can normally be found in swamps
and Asia’s rainforests in countries such asMalaysia,
Thailand, Indonesia and India. It is so unfortunate
that these solitary animals are facing the threat of
extinction due to the poaching of their hornswhich
are used in traditional Chinesemedicine to treat
fevers, rheumatism, gout and other disorders.
Mouse Deer
Black Shrew
Sumatran Rhinoceros