The leaf muntjac, leaf deer or Putao muntjac (''Muntiacus putaoensis'') is a small
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
muntjac
Muntjacs ( ), also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, (URL is Google Books) are small deer of the genus ''Muntiacus'' native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Muntjacs are thought to have begun appearing 15–35 million years ago, ...
.
It was documented in 1997 by biologist
Alan Rabinowitz
Alan Robert Rabinowitz (December 31, 1953 – August 5, 2018) was an American zoologist who served as the president, CEO, and chief scientist at Panthera Corporation, a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world's 40 w ...
during his field study in the isolated
Nogmung Township in
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
. Rabinowitz discovered the species by examining the small carcass of a deer that he initially believed was the juvenile of another species; however, it proved to be the carcass of an adult female.
He managed to obtain specimens, from which
DNA analysis
Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...
revealed a new
cervid
A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) a ...
species. Local hunters knew of the species and called it the leaf deer because its body could be completely wrapped by a single large leaf.
It is found in
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
Distribution and habitat
The leaf muntjac is uniquely found in dense forests of
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
, in the
Hukawng Valley region to the Northeast of
Putao Putao may refer to:
China
* Putao, Guangxi, a town in Yangshuo County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
* Putao, Xinjiang, a town in Turpan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Myanmar
* Putao District, a district of Kachin State
* Putao Township, i ...
, hence its scientific epithet, and to the south of the Nam Tamai branch of the
Mai Hka River
Mai, or MAI, may refer to:
Names
* Mai (Chinese surname)
* Mai (Vietnamese surname)
* Mai (name)
* Mai (singer), J-Pop singer
Places
* Chiang Mai, largest city in northern Thailand
* Ma-i, a pre-Hispanic Philippine state
* Mai, Non Sung, Th ...
. It is found at an altitude of 450 to 600 m; the transition zone between tropical forests and temperate ones. Its existence in India was first reported from the Lohit district in eastern Arunachal Pradesh In 2002, it was reported also to exist in
Namdapha Tiger Reserve, also in eastern
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
It has also been noted from the Lohit and Changlang region and near Noklak in Nagaland. It probably inhabits suitable habitat over the entire junction of the
Pātkai Bum and the
Kumon Taungdan ranges. In 2008 and 2009, its presence was reported in several new areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
Description
An adult leaf deer stands at just 20 inches (50 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs less than 25 pounds (11 kg). They are light brown. Males have unbranched antlers that are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in height. Other than this, the male and female deer are identical.
This species is unusual among other deer because their offspring do not bear any spots. It also differs from other muntjacs because both the male and female have pronounced canine tusks.
The leaf deer species characteristics of being small, preferring to roam alone, and living in habitats of dense forests in the mountains resembles the characteristics of ancient species of deer.
Patterns of activity
Information on leaf muntjac behavior is limited, but similar muntjacs are often
crepuscular
In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal (active during dawn), vespertine (biology), vespertine/vespertinal (active during dusk), or both. This is distinguished from diurnalit ...
, with others being both
nocturnal
Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatur ...
and
diurnal. In addition, leaf muntjacs are usually solitary,
except for during the female muntjac’s pregnancy, in which case the male mating partner will also be present.
Fruit and leaf traces upon autopsy indicates their diets contribute to local seed dispersal practices.
Conservation and status
On the IUCN Red List this species is classified as Data Deficient, as there is lack of certainty about its morphology, distribution, taxonomy and ecology. There has been evidence of persistent hunting by local people and this suggests that numbers are decreasing.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q908454
leaf muntjac
Mammals of Myanmar
leaf muntjac
Taxa named by Alan Rabinowitz