Muntjac

The muntjac is a group of small deer native to South and Southeast Asia, among the oldest known deer lineages, with a fossil record stretching back millions of years. Adults typically stand under half a metre at the shoulder, with a reddish-brown or greyish coat and, in males, short backward-curving antlers grown on long bony pedicles alongside a pair of visible upper canine tusks used in territorial fights. It is best known for its distinctive dog-like bark, used both as an alarm call and during the breeding season, which has earned it the common name barking deer across much of its range. Muntjacs are shy, solitary forest dwellers that browse on leaves, shoots, fruit and fungi, and unlike most deer they do not follow a strict seasonal breeding calendar, able to reproduce throughout the year. One species, the Reeves's muntjac, was introduced to England in the twentieth century and has since spread widely as a naturalized population well outside its native range.