Leaf muntjac
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| Leaf muntjac | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Muntiacus putaoensis Amato, Egan & Rabinowitz, 1999 |
The leaf muntjac, leaf deer or Putao muntjac (Muntiacus putaoensis) is a small species of muntjac. It is the smallest known species of deer, at half the size of the previous smallest deer.[1] It was discovered very recently, in 1997, by biologist Alan Rabinowitz during his field study in the isolated Hukawng Valley in Myanmar. 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.[1] He managed to obtain specimens, from which DNA analysis revealed a new cervid 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.[1]
[edit] Distribution and habitat
The leaf muntjac is uniquely found in dense forests of Myanmar, in the Hukawng Valley region to the Northeast of Putao, hence its scientific epithet, and to the south of the Nam Tamai branch of the Mai Hka River. It is found at an altitude of 450 to 600 m — the transition zone between tropical forests and temperate ones. In 2002, it was discovered also to exist in Namdapha Tiger Reserve in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, India (see Current Science, vol. 84, p. 454). It probably inhabits suitable habitat over the entire junction of the Pātkai Bum and the Kumon Taungdan ranges.
[edit] Description
An adult leaf deer stands at just 20 inches high at the shoulder and weighs less than 25 pounds. It is the world's smallest known deer.[1] They are light brown. Males have unbranched antlers that are about 1m in height. Other than this, the male and female deer are identical.[1] 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.[1]
Leaf deer have been known to invade populated cities in search of food.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Ellis, Richard (2004). No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species. New York: Harper Perrenial, 260. ISBN 0-06-055804-0.
