Sunday, July 09, 2017

Indian Muntjac , commonly known as Barking Deer !
Chaki Mor
June 25, 2017
Fact sheet
The Indian Muntjac is also known as the red muntjac due to the rusty colour of its coat.
*The name Muntjac originates from the Sudanese “mencek”, which means small deer.
* Though barking deer is one of the oldest known species of deer, it is also one of least studied species.
*They are one of the smallest species of deer on the planet.
*They can reproduce any time of the year.
* Females can mate in a few days after giving birth.
* They shed their antlers every year.
*Barking deer's unique cry resembles the bark of a dog . Its bark is often misunderstood by locals. The groaning sound gives rise to many paranormal stories around the region.
*Though herbivorous in nature, their long canine teeth may cause serious damage in case of fighting.
* It has eyes placed on the sides of its skull, giving it a wide range of vision to spot predators.
*Along with all the basic senses, it also uses a special sixth sense, known as the vomeronasal organ that is located in the upper side of its mouth to detect chemical scents left by other animals
* Though they are hunted by top predators like tigers, pythons, leopards and humans, they have survived for over 25 million years on our planet.

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