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Reeves’s Muntjac Fast Facts What do they look like? Reeves’s muntjac is a small deer reaching up to 20-40 pounds. They are about three feet in length and are 16-18 inches tall at the shoulders. Their coat is reddish-brown with darker points on the muzzle and legs. Their chin, chest, and belly are often lighter than the rest of their body. They have relatively long snouts with black stripes running from the muzzle to each antler (on males) or pedicle (small bony knobs on females). Males’ antlers can grow to be up to four inches long and are shed each breeding season. Both sexes have elongated canine teeth, though they are much more pronounced in males. How do they behave? Family: Cervidae Reeves’s muntjacs are mostly crepuscular, active during dawn and dusk, but some individuals also display diurnal and nocturnal tendencies. In the wild, males keep small, well-defended territories that overlap with surrounding female territories. Males mark their territories with scent glands located in front of their eyes. Although typically solitary animals, males are occasionally seen accompanying females and females are often accompanied by their young. When alarmed or confronted, the Reeves’s muntjac produces a deep, bark-like noise, which gives this species its nickname of the “barking deer.” Vocal communication is very important in their dense forest habitat where visibility is low. Order: Artiodactyla What’s on the menu? Class: Mammalia In the wild, muntjacs forage for herbs, flowers, grasses, leaves, fallen fruit, nuts, and young shoots of trees. At the zoo, they are fed leaf-eater diet, fruit, vegetables, alfalfa, and grass hay. Common Name: Reeves’s Muntjac, Barking Deer Scientific Name: Muntiacus reevesi Range: Southeast China, Taiwan How are they born? Mating occurs year round in this species. Gestation lasts approximately seven months and usually results in a single birth, although twins occasionally occur. Fawns are spotted for camouflage, but the spots will gradually fade as they approach adulthood. Fawns wean at two months of age and are sexually mature between six to twelve months. Do muntjacs have antlers or horns? Habitat: Forests Lifespan: Up to 10 years in the wild; up to 18 years in captivity Conservation Status: Stable Although some people use the words “antler” and “horn” interchangeably, they’re very different structures. Antlers are branched bony appendages found on members of the deer family and are shed annually. When new antlers emerge, they are covered in velvet. Velvet covers growing antlers which supplies the bone with blood, oxygen and nutrients. Horns are found on various other hoofstock such as goats, sheep, cows, and antelope. Horns are comprised of a living bony core and are covered in a keratinized sheath. What should you know about them? Hunting and habitat destruction contributes to the decreasing muntjac population in the wild. However, the Reeves’s muntjac population is still numerous and they are not at immediate risk of endangerment.