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MUNTJAC

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Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 13 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MUNTJAC , the See also:

Indian name of a small See also:deer typifying the genus Cervulus, all the members of which are indigenous to the See also:southern and eastern parts of See also:Asia and the adjacent islands, and are separated by marked characters from all their See also:allies. For the distinctive features of the genus see DEER. As regards See also:general characteristics, all muntjacs are small compared with the See also:majority of deer, and have See also:long bodies and rather See also:short limbs and See also:neck. The antlers of the bucks are small and See also:simple; The Indian Muntjac (Cervulus muntjac). the See also:main See also:stem or See also:beam, after giving off a short brow-tine, inclining backwards and upwards, being unbranched and pointed, and when fully See also:developed curving inwards and somewhat down-wards at the tip. These small antlers are supported upon pedicles, or processes of the frontal bones, longer than in any other deer, the front edges of these being continued downwards as strong ridges passing along the sides of the See also:face above the eyes. From this feature the name See also:rib-faced deer has been suggested for the muntjac. The upper canine See also:teeth of the See also:males are large and See also:sharp, projecting outside the mouth as tusks, and loosely implanted in their sockets. In the See also:females they are much smaller. Muntjacs are solitary animals, even two being rarely seen together. They are fond of hilly ground covered with forests, in the dense thickets of which they pass most of their See also:time, only coming to the skirts of the See also:woods at See also:morning and evening to graze. They carry the See also:head and neck See also:low and the See also:hind-quarters high, their See also:action in See also:running being See also:peculiar and not elegant, somewhat resembling the See also:pace of a See also:sheep.

Though with no See also:

power of sustained See also:speed or extensive leaping, they are remark-able for flexibility of See also:body and facility of creeping through tangled underwood. A popular name with Indian sportsmen is " See also:barking deer," on See also:account of the alarm-cry—a See also:kind of short shrill bark, like that of a See also:fox, but louder. When attacked by See also:dogs, the males use their sharp canine teeth, which inflict deep and even dangerous wounds. In the Indian muntjac the height of the See also:buck is from 20 to 22 in.; allied types, some of which have received distinct names, occur in See also:Burma and the See also:Malay See also:Peninsula and Islands. Among these, the Burmese C. muntjac grandicornis is noteworthy on account of its large antlers. The Tibetan muntjac (C. lachrymans), from Moupin in eastern See also:Tibet and Hangchow in See also:China, is somewhat smaller than the Indian See also:animal, with a See also:bright reddish-See also:brown coat. The smallest member of the genus (C. reevesi) occurs in southern China and has a reddish-See also:chestnut coat, speckled with yellowish See also:grey and a See also:black See also:band down the nape. The See also:Tenasserim muntjac (C. feae), about the See also:size of the Indian See also:species, is closely allied to the hairy-fronted muntjac (C. crinifrons) of eastern China, but lacks the tuft of See also:hair on the forehead. The last-mentioned species, by its frontal tuft, small rounded ears, general brown coloration, and See also:minute antlers, connects the typical muntjacs with the small tufted deer or tufted muntjacs of the genus Elaphodus of eastern China and Tibet. These last have coarse bristly hair of a purplish-brown See also:colour with See also:light markings, very large head-tufts, almost concealing the minute antlers, of which the pedicles do not extend as ribs down the face. They include E. cephalophus of Tibet, E. michianus of Ningpo, and E. ichangensis of the mountains of Ichang. (R.

End of Article: MUNTJAC

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