Mastreani deer, Barking deer, Kakar, Bornean red muntjac, Red muntjac, Sundaland red muntjac
The Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak ), also called the southern red muntjac and barking deer, is a deer species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
This muntjac has soft, short, brownish or greyish hair, sometimes with creamy markings. It is among the smallest deer species. It is an omnivore and eats grass, fruit, shoots, seeds, bird eggs, and small animals, and occasionally scavenges on carrion. Its calls sound like barking, often when frightened by a predator, hence the common name "barking deer". Males have canines, short antlers that usually branch just once near the base, and a large postorbital scent gland used to mark territories.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While sc...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
A territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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SolitaryA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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starts withIndian muntjac deer, also known as the Mastreani deer, are small deer mainly found in Southern Asia. Indian muntjacs are amongst the oldest known deer species, with their fossils date back 15 to 35 million years ago. There are 12 known species in this group of deer, as well as several subspecies, and they have unique features like canine tusks and small antlers. It is not hard to distinguish between males and females, adults and young, of the genus Muntiacus. Males are larger and more muscular than females and have small straight antlers. Instead of antlers, females have bony knobs on their heads with patches of fur on top. In males the canines are longer and are clearly visible, whereas in females they are small and generally covered with their upper lip.
Indian muntjacs are found in southeastern and southern Asia, from Pakistan through India and Nepal, and across Southeast Asia into southern China. They live in rainforests, amongst dense vegetation, monsoon forests, and hilly country. They prefer being close to water.
Wild Indian muntjacs are active both during the day and during the night. However, animals in captivity show crepuscular behavior. These deer are solitary grazers, though occasionally they form small herds numbering 4-5 individuals. They will patrol their territory, searching for food and mates. A female is often seen with her fawn, and their territory will overlap with several territories of surrounding males. The males do not tend to be very aggressive, but they do like to maintain separate territories. Usually they tolerate other muntjacs, though fights can occur over a female. Males fight using their antlers and in doing so can cause each other serious injuries. The barking sound a Muntjac deer makes is an alarm call to warn nearby muntjacs of a potential threat. Their calls can be regularly heard at dawn and dusk, and can be a means of communication as well. Females and fawns squeal when communicating with each other.
Indian muntjacs are omnivorous and eat herbs, fruit, birds' eggs, sprouts, seeds, grasses and small animals.
Indian muntjacs are polygynous animals, males often fight between one another for possession of a harem of females. Muntjacs don’t adhere to any particular breeding season and can breed year round. Gestation lasts for a period of up to 230 days (about 7-8 months). A single fawn is born, and, occasionally, twins. Fawns are born in dense vegetation, where they remain hidden until they can move about with their mother. Females stop lactating once their fawn is 7-8 weeks of age. They are able to breed again several days after giving birth, so a doe can produce a new baby every 7 months. The young leaves its mother after about 6 months to establish its own territory. A female reaches sexual maturity at about 7 to 9 months old, and males at about 11 to 12 months old.
Indian muntjac deer are hunted for their meat and skin, as well as for sport. They are often hunted at the edges of agricultural areas because they are regarded as a pest due to damaging crops and tearing bark off trees. The increasing number of vehicles on the road is another major killer for muntjacs, as many of them are killed when they try to cross the road when looking for food.
The IUCN Red List do not provide the Indian muntjacs total population size, but state that recent camera-trap studies show this to be a common species. Indian muntjacs are classified as least concern (LC) but their numbers are decreasing.
