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Indian muntlac, barking deer - MUNTIACUS MUNTJAK
Possibly Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Muntjac": "Muntjac" comes from the Malay word "menjangan," which means "deer." "Deer" comes from the German word "Tier," which simply means "animal."
Location: Asia from India to China.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Tropical forest up to an altitude of 10,000 feet.
Description: The coat is short, shiny, and reddish. Antlers, present only in the male, are twin-pronged, with a maximum length of four or five inches, and grow on a high base of skin-covered bone. Distinctive canine teeth protrude from the upper jaw in males and can reach a length of over an inch. The munjac grows to about forty inches in length, 26 inches at the shoulder. Its tail is about nine more inches. It weighs up to 35 pounds.
Behavior: The muntjac usually is solitary and is active mainly at twilight and at night. It feeds on grass, leaves, and fruit. When annoyed or alarmed by the unexpected appearance of an enemy (tigers and other members of the cat family), it emits a distinctive noise like the baying of a dog.
Reproduction: When mating occurs, at any time of year, there are often violent duels between males, with the rivals inflicting deep wounds on one another with their horns and canine teeth. Gestation lasts for about six months, after which the female delivers one or two young.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
Or go to the Deer Index to study other
deer.
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