The water chevrotain has a deer-like body and a coat of pale stripes and spots. It hides by day and is active at night in forests near water.
It has a small pointed head, a stocky body and slender legs. Its coat has stripes and spots, including pale lines on the head and neck. Males have sharp tusks that extend below the lips.
It is nocturnal and hides in ground vegetation during the day. At night it forages in forest clearings and along riverbanks, eating leaves, fruit and buds, and occasionally insects, crustaceans or small mammals.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.