Muntjac - The Barking Deer

Muntjacs are a member of the deer family and it is also known as barking deer or the rib faced deer. The Muntjacs are small deers that belong to the genus of Muntiacus and are native to south and southeast Asia. Muntjacs are found in 12 different species in Taiwan, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, and Japan. Muntjacs were introduced to zoos in England throughout the nineteenth century. Numerous animals were able to get away and create a wild colony. Muntjacs have been extensively spread throughout England and Wales since that period. Muntjacs live in dense semi and tropical forests.

Muntjacs first appeared 15 to 35 million years ago, according to evidence found in Miocene sediments in France, Germany, and Poland. Hunters are drawn to these animals because of their skin and flesh. Habitat loss which is caused because of the growing urbanization and traffic accidents are two more reasons that threaten muntjac survival. Fortunately, the natural population of muntjacs is still big and steady. The IUCN lists most species as Least Concern or Data Deficient, although the black muntjac, Bornean yellow muntjac, and gigantic muntjac are Vulnerable, Near Threatened, and Critically Endangered, respectively.

In this article, we are going to discuss muntjac deer, its description, habitat, distribution, behaviour, and also a few of the most important and frequently asked questions related to the muntjac will be answered. 

Barking Deer - Why is it Called So?

• The Indian muntjac whose scientific name is Muntiacus muntjak is commonly known as the barking deer. The Indian muntjac has been named the barking deer for a reason and it is due to the bark-like sound that it makes as an alarm when it feels the presence of danger and that danger could be anything from other animal predators or the hunters. The Indian muntjac is also called “Kakar” a few times by the local people. 

• The muntjac deer may bark for an hour or more at a time. This species is one of eleven muntjac species found across Asia. Indian muntjacs, in particular, are found across Southern Asia but are one of Asia's lesser-known mammals.

• Indian muntjacs have been around since the late Pleistocene era, at least 12, 000 years ago, according to paleontological data. They have played an important role in Southern Asia since then, being hunted for fun as well as meat and skin. These creatures are frequently targeted on the edges of agricultural regions because they are considered a nuisance since they damage crops and tear tree bark. Nevertheless, this species is still plentiful in Southern Asia, with estimates ranging from 140, 000 to 150, 000 in India alone in 2004.

Distribution of The Muntjac Deer

• The muntjac species are native to Asia and are now found in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, the Indonesian islands, Taiwan, India, and Southern China. Different species of muntjac deer are found in the lower Himalayas which are the Terai regions of Nepal and Bhutan. 

• Foreign populations of Reeves' muntjac can be found in parts of the United Kingdom and Japan. Wild deer evolved from escapees from the Woburn Abbey estate in the United Kingdom about 1925. Muntjac populations have grown fast, and they are now found in most English counties, as well as Wales, though they are less frequent in the northwest. 

• A survey was conducted by the British Deer Society on the wild deer population in the UK between the years 2005 and 2007 which had reported that the muntjac deer population has increased and it is been expected that the muntjac deer may soon become the most numerous deer species in England. The muntjac deer have also been spotted in Scotland and Ireland. 

• Deer in tropical areas do not have a regular cycle, and mating can occur at any time of year; groups transferred to temperate nations preserve this behaviour. Males have small antlers that may regenerate, but they use their "tusks" to battle for territory. These "tusks" are not found in native British wild deer and can be used to distinguish a muntjac from an immature native deer. Water deer have noticeable tusks as well, although they are considerably less common.

• The Indian muntjac can be found in southeastern and southern Asia from India to Pakistan and even in a few parts of Nepal. The hunting of these deer has been banned as they were hunted by the locals and deers for their skin and meat. 

Description of The Muntjac Deer 

• If we want to describe the Indian muntjac we could say that it has a short but soft, thick, and dense coat. This thick coat is a special case for the ones who live in the cooler regions as it would allow the muntjac deers to adjust and adapt to the colder climate.

• Depending on the season, the coat colour changes from dark brown to yellowish and greyish-brown. Muntjacs have a golden tan dorsal coat and a white ventral side, with dark brown to reddish-brown limbs and a dark brown face. The hairs in the ears are very little which are not enough to cover them. 

• Male muntjacs have small antlers which are around only 2 inches long, with just two or three points at most that emerge from long body hair-covered pedicels on the forehead. Females have fur tufts and tiny bony bumps where males' antlers are seen. Males also have somewhat enlarged upper canines that curve slightly outward from the lips and are capable of inflicting significant harm on other animals or members of the population while displaying hostility. Sexual dimorphism is seen in the muntjac and as a result that the males are bigger than females in general. Muntjacs range in size from around 35 to 53 inches in length and 16 to 26 inches in height.

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Habitat of The Muntjac Deer 

• The Indian muntjac is considered to be among the most widespread but also the least known of all the mammals in South Asia. They are evidently found in Bangladesh, Southern China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, The Malay Peninsula, the Riau Archipelago, Sumatra, Bangka Island, Belitung, Java, Bali, and Borneo are all part of the Malaysian Peninsula. The Indian Muntjac deers population is mostly found in Southeast Asia. 

• The Indian muntjac may be found in tropical and subtropical deciduous woods, as well as grasslands, savannas, and scrub forests, as well as steep terrain on the Himalayan foothills. They may be found in altitudes ranging from sea level to 3000 meters above sea level in the United States. They are never far from a body of water. In addition, males generally have their own area, which may overlap the territories of a few females but not the territories of another male.

Diet 

• The Indian muntjacs are considered to be omnivorous in nature. They eat grasses, ivy, thorny shrubs, low-growing leaves, bark, twigs, herbs, fruit, sprouts, seeds, tender shoots, bird eggs, and tiny warm-blooded creatures, and are classified as both browsers and grazers. Typically, Indian muntjacs may be seen eating on the edge of the forest or in abandoned clearings.

• The Indian muntjacs are mostly found in the Nilgiri-Wayanad area of India where they have been sited in the large tea estates which are where they feed the tea seeds. There is a large canine tooth present in the muntjac deer that helps in the processes of retrieving and ingesting the food. 

• The Chinese muntjac is also omnivorous in nature and it eats bamboo, seeds, fruits foliage, and also bark of the tree but it has also been found to eat eggs and carrion and it has been also seen to hunt down small mammals and eggs. 

The Behaviour of the Muntjac Deer 

• The adult Indian muntjac animal is considered to be a solitary animal other than the mating season and for the six months after giving birth. 

• Adult male Indian muntjac deers, in particular, are well separated and appear to be active in the acquisition and management of territory by marking grass and shrubs with secretions from their preorbital glands. Males establish territories by rubbing their preorbital glands which are found on their face and just below the eyes. They rub these preorbital glands on the ground and trees, scraping their hooves on the ground, and scratching the bark of trees with their lower incisors, all of which leave smell markers. Other muntjacs can use these smell markers to determine whether or not a region is inhabited.

• The male Indian muntjac species are known to fight with each other for either the territories, vegetation, and also for a primary preferred female. The males use their short antlers to fight with others for a female and if things get worse or if the stakes are higher they will also use the sharp canines to defeat other male Muntjac. If a male muntjac deer isn't powerful enough to establish his own territory, he'll almost certainly fall prey to a leopard or other predator. During the rut, territorial borders are momentarily blurred and overlapped, and males travel around looking for a receptive female.

• The Indian muntjac deers are considered to be highly alert creatures. When they are put into highly stressful situations such as fighting with other males or if they sense a predator, the muntjac will instantly make a bark-like sound which is quite similar to the bark made by the dogs. Barking initially by many people was thought or seen as a means of communication between the deers during the mating season as a part of alert but as time passed recent studies suggest that it has been identified as a mechanism used only against alarming situations against the predators or any life-threatening situation. When vision is restricted, the barking mechanism is employed more often, and one episode can persist for almost an hour. Muntjacs are diurnal and nocturnal animals and it all depends on the time and the requirement, for example, if they feel they have a predator they won’t be active during the day and vice versa. 

Reproduction 

• The Indian muntjacs are polygamous mammals and in the first year of their lives, the females reach sexual maturity. Females in this species are polyestrous, with each cycle lasting 14 to 21 days and each estrus lasting two days. The gestation period is six to seven months, and they generally only have one child at a time, however, twins are occasionally produced. Females generally give birth in tight clusters to keep the remainder of the herd and predators at bay. After around six months, the young leaves its mother to establish its own territory.

• The males of the Indian muntjac usually fight with one another only to get the harem of the females. The ones who win get the female and the one who loses is to the wounded which either recovers as time passes by or is left in the spot to be eaten by predators. Indian muntjacs are distinct from other even-toed ungulates in that they lack evidence of a distinct mating season.

Predation of The Muntjac Deers 

• The muntjac deers especially the Chinese Muntjac, are highly predated by a number of large mammals and reptiles in the Southeast China region. Leopards, tigers, dholes, jackals, crocodiles, and pythons are among these natural predators. The fox is the sole possible predator among the imported populations in England. There are behavioural variations between English and Chinese populations, as the absence of predators causes muntjac deer to be less alert in England, and it is therefore thought to be at ease with the presence of man and human-altered environments.

• The muntjac deers will bark for up to an hour if they are startled. This distress call, on the other hand, appears to be a vocalized representation of internal concern rather than a warning to others. The fact that muntjac barks tend to be released within a frequency range that would not travel through the thick foliage in which they live is proof of this.

• Little is known about the exact lifespan of the muntjac deers in the wild but due to the rapid development and its life cycle, the muntjac can live upto 12 years in the wild but when kept in captivity could survive for 17 years.