Instead of the neat, short fur many muntjacs have, this species has a long, shaggy tuft of hair on its forehead that can look almost like a messy fringe brushed forward between the ears. Its coat is generally dark brown to nearly black, which helps it melt into the shadows of dense forest, and the tail is fairly long with a pale underside that can flash like a small signal when the animal moves. Like other muntjacs, males carry short antlers growing from bony stalks above the eyes, and they also have small but sharp upper canine teeth that can be used in close fights. Females lack antlers but share the same rich, dark colouring and hairy forehead, giving both sexes the same “hooded” look.

This deer lives in evergreen and mixed forests in the hills and mountains of southeastern China, where thick undergrowth, bamboo, ferns and shrubs create a cool, dim world under the canopy. It is mostly active at dusk, at night and in the early morning, and it spends the rest of the day resting in deep cover. When it moves, it prefers to follow narrow animal paths through the undergrowth, stopping often to listen and smell the air.

Its diet is a varied mix of leaves, shoots, fruits and other soft plant parts, and like other muntjacs, it will browse on what is available through the seasons rather than depending on one type of food. Most of the time it lives alone or in pairs, only briefly coming together for mating. If startled or alarmed, it can give loud, hoarse barks that echo through the forest—one reason muntjacs are often called “barking deer.”

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

China

7,000-8,500

Official estimate

VU

2015