Mammals · Artiodactyla · Cervidae

Reeves' Muntjac

Muntiacus reevesi

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Reeves's muntjac, or the barking deer, is a small reddish deer of south-eastern China and Taiwan, with short antlers on elongated pedicles and upper canines in the males. It owes its nickname to the harsh, repeated bark it gives as an alarm, which it can keep up for more than an hour. Introduced into England in the early 20th century from the Woburn collection, it has gone feral and spread across much of the country, where it damages woodland regeneration.

Weight

10 kg – 18 kg

Size

70 cm – 1.1 m

Lifespan

16 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Crepuscular

Active above all at dawn and dusk.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestHerbivore Crepuscular Variable activity Solitary Temperate forest Mammal

6countries 15parks23same family

Fun facts

comunicaciónIts alarm call sounds like a bark, which is where its common name comes from, and the males have small upper tusks rather than large branched antlers.
It barks: its alarm call is a short, hoarse bark that it repeats for long stretches, which is why in English it is called the barking deer.
Muntjacs have the lowest chromosome number known in a mammal, and the genus includes species with only six or seven pairs, an extreme case of chromosomal fusion studied in evolutionary genetics.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Dense understorey of woodland, scrub, hedgerows and gardens in south-eastern China and Taiwan
Sexual maturity: 9 months
Gestation / incubation: 6.5 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muntiacus_reevesi