muntjac

Any of about nine species of small deer found in Southeast Asia. They live mostly in dense vegetation and do not form herds. The males have short spiked antlers and two sharp canine teeth forming tusks. They are sometimes called ‘barking deer’ because of their voices. (Genus Muntiacus.)

New species In 1994 a new species of muntjac, the giant muntjac (Mega muntiacus vuquangensis), was found in a private menagerie in Laos. In 1997 scientists from the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) discovered another species of muntjac in Vietnam. It is a dwarf species and weighs only about 16 kg/35lb, has antlers the length of a thumbnail, and lives at altitudes of 457–914 m/1,500–3,000 ft. The discovery of yet another new muntjac species in Vietnam was announced in 1998.

In 1999 a new species, the smallest yet, was discovered in northern Myanmar. The leaf deer M. putaoensis stands a mere 50 cm/20 in at the shoulder.