Animal Info - Fea's Muntjac

(Other Names: Barking Deer, Fea's Munjac)

Muntiacus feae

Status: Data Deficient

1. Profile (Picture)
2. Tidbits
3. Status and Trends (IUCN Status, Countries Where Currently Found, Population Estimates, History of Distribution, Threats and Reasons for Decline)
4. Data on Biology and Ecology (Weight, Habitat, Gestation Period, Diet, Behavior, Social Organization)
5. References

Profile

Picture: Fea's Muntjac (6 Kb JPEG)

Fea's muntjac weighs 18 - 21 kg (40 - 46 lb). It is usually found in evergreen forests in upland areas. In China it has been found in mountainous forest comprised of a mixture of coniferous, broad-leaf forest or shrub forest at an altitude of 2500 m (8200'). Young muntjacs are usually born in dense growth, where they remain hidden until they can move about with the mother. Muntjacs eat grasses, low-growing leaves, and tender shoots. Fea's muntjac is diurnal and solitary.

In 1984, Fea's muntjac was documented in Yunnan Province in southcentral China. It is also thought to occur in the Tenasserim area in the southern tip of Myanmar and adjacent regions in Thailand, as well as in Laos and Vietnam. Fea's muntjac was apparently never very abundant. It is now quite rare. Its total numbers are unknown but are certainly small.

Reasons for the decline of Fea's muntjac include hunting (including armed insurgents living off the land) and the increase of human settlement.

Tidbits

*** Fea's muntjac has been considered a nuisance in some areas because it destroys trees by ripping off the bark.

*** Muntjacs are also known as "barking deer" because they make a deep, barklike sound as a warning if they sense a predator nearby.

Status and Trends

IUCN Status:

1960's: Insufficiently Known
1970's - 1994: Endangered
1996 - 2004: Data Deficient (IUCN 2004)

Countries Where Fea's Muntjac Is Currently Found:

2004: Occurs in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand (introduced) and Vietnam. (IUCN 2004)

Population Estimates:

[Note: Figures given are for wild populations only.]

WORLD
- There is no reliable information on population trends (Humphrey & Bain 1990).

History of Distribution:

In 1984 Fea's muntjac was documented in Yunnan Province in southcentral China. It is also thought to occur in the Tenasserim area in the southern tip of Myanmar and adjacent regions in Thailand, as well as in Laos and Vietnam. Fea's muntjac was apparently never very abundant. It is now quite rare. Its total numbers are unknown but are certainly small.

Threats and Reasons for Decline:

Reasons for the decline of Fea's muntjac include hunting (including armed insurgents living off the land) and the increase of human settlement.

Data on Biology and Ecology

Weight:

Fea's muntjac weighs 18 - 21 kg (40 - 46 lb).

Habitat:

Fea's muntjac is usually found in evergreen forests in upland areas. In China it has been found in mountainous forest comprised of a mixture of coniferous, broad-leaf forest or shrub forest at an altitude of 2500 m (8200').

Fea's muntjac lives in both the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons. Intl. 2005) as well as the Kayah-Karan/Tenasserim Moist Forests Global 200 Ecoregion (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999).

Gestation Period:

180 days.

Diet:

Muntjacs eat grasses, low-growing leaves, and tender shoots.

Behavior:

Young muntjacs are usually born in dense growth, where they remain hidden until they can move about with the mother. Fea's muntjac is diurnal.

Social Organization:

Fea's muntjac is solitary.

References

Burton & Pearson 1987, Cons. Intl. 2005, Curry-Lindahl 1972, Hogee 1984, Humphrey & Bain 1990, IUCN 1968, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2003a, IUCN 2004, Macdonald 1984, Nowak 1999, Nowak & Paradiso 1983, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, Schaller & Vrba 1996

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