Giant muntjac

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Giant muntjac
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Cervinae
Genus: Muntiacus
Species:
M. vuquangensis
Binomial name
Muntiacus vuquangensis
(Tuoc, Dung, Dawson, Arctander and Mackinnon, 1994)
Muntiacus vuquangensis distribution.svg
Geographic range
Synonyms

Megamuntiacus vuquangensis(Tuoc et al., 1994)

The giant muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis), sometimes referred to as the large-antlered muntjac, is a species of muntjac deer. It is the largest muntjac species and was discovered in 1994 in Vũ Quang, Hà Tĩnh Province of Vietnam and in central Laos. During inundation of the Nakai Reservoir in Khammouane Province of Laos for the Nam Theun 2 Multi-Purpose Project, 38 giant muntjac were captured, studied, and released into the adjacent Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area. Subsequent radio-tracking of a sample of these animals showed the relocation was successful. [3] The species is also located in parts of eastern Cambodia, as well as the Annamite Mountains (Trường Sơn Mountains). [4]

The giant muntjac is commonly found in evergreen forests and weighs about 66–110 lb (30–50 kg). [5] It has a red-brown coat [4] and is an even-toed ungulate. Due to slash-and-burn agriculture, combined with hunting, the giant muntjac is considered critically endangered. [4] It is preyed upon by animals such as the tiger and leopard. [4] It is most closely related to Muntiacus muntjak (common muntjac). [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truong Son muntjac</span> Species of deer

The Truong Son muntjac or Annamite muntjac is a species of muntjac deer. It is one of the smallest muntjac species, at about 15 kg (33 lb), half the size of the Indian muntjac. It was discovered in the Truong Son mountain range in Vietnam in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muntjac</span> Genus of deer

Muntjacs, also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, 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, with remains found in Miocene deposits in France, Germany and Poland. Most species are listed as Least Concern or Data Deficient by the IUCN, although others such as the black muntjac, Bornean yellow muntjac, and giant muntjac are Vulnerable, Near Threatened, and Critically Endangered, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaf muntjac</span> Species of deer

The leaf muntjac, leaf deer or Putao muntjac is a small species of muntjac. It was documented in 1997 by biologist Alan Rabinowitz during his field study in the isolated Nogmung Township 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. 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. It is found in Myanmar and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern red muntjac</span> Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak)

The Southern red muntjac is a deer species native to Southeast Asia. It is formely known as the Indian muntjac or the common muntjac before the species was taxonomically revised to represent only populations of Sunda and perhaps Malaysia. The other populations being attributed to this species are now attributed to Muntiacus vaginalis. Muntjacs are also referred to as barking deer. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reeves's muntjac</span> Species of deer

Reeves's muntjac, also known as the Chinese muntjac, is a muntjac species found widely in southeastern China and Taiwan. It has also been introduced in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan. It takes its name from John Reeves, a naturalist employed by the British East India Company in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hairy-fronted muntjac</span> Species of deer

The hairy-fronted muntjac or black muntjac is a type of deer currently found in Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian in southeastern China. It is considered to be endangered, possibly down to as few as 5–10,000 individuals spread over a wide area. Reports of hairy-fronted muntjacs from Burma result from considering the hairy-fronted muntjac and Gongshan muntjac as the same species. This suggestion is controversial. It is similar in size to the common muntjac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gongshan muntjac</span> Species of deer

The Gongshan muntjac is a species of muntjac living in the Gongshan mountains in northwestern Yunnan, southeast Tibet, Northeast India and northern Myanmar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roosevelt's muntjac</span> Species of deer

A single specimen of the Roosevelt's muntjac or Roosevelt's barking deer was presented to the Field Museum in 1929 following the Kelley-Roosevelts expedition organized by Theodore (Jnr) and Kermit Roosevelt. The specimen is slightly smaller than the common muntjac and DNA testing has shown it to be distinct from recently discovered muntjac species. It is a subspecies of Fea's muntjac, whose home range is mountains further northwest separated by lower land. However, without further evidence, the exact position of Roosevelt's muntjac cannot be stated. Berlin Zoo supposedly held this species between 1961 and 1972 but it could have been an Indian muntjac, subspecies annamensis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cervinae</span> Subfamily of deer

The Cervinae or the Old World deer, are a subfamily of deer. Alternatively, they are known as the plesiometacarpal deer, due to their ankle structure being different from the telemetacarpal deer of the Capreolinae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Laos</span>

The wildlife of Laos encompasses the animals and plants found in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a landlocked country in southeastern Asia. Part of the country is mountainous and much of it is still clad in tropical broadleaf forest. It has a great variety of animal and plant species.

Hin Namno National Park is in Boualapha District, Khammouane Province, Laos. The park borders Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park of Vietnam to the east and Nakai-Nam Theun National Park of Laos to the north. Hin Namno National Park was created by prime ministerial decree in January 2020. It is managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF).

Nakai-Nam Theun National Park in Nakai District, Khammouane Province, Laos, is one of the last remaining wildernesses in Southeast Asia. Nakai-Nam Theun covers approximately 4,270 km2 of the Annamite Range and the adjacent Nakai Plateau in Khammouane and Bolikhamsai Provinces. It was designated a national park on 15 February 2019 by Prime Ministerial Decree No. 36, 15 February 2019. It is managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). It is adjacent to the Vu Quang National Park of Vietnam.

Vũ Quang National Park is a national park in Vũ Quang District, Hà Tĩnh Province, North Central Coast, Vietnam. This park contains biodiversity. Saola and Giant muntjac are species found in this park. Vũ Quang is a remote forested region of Vietnam, in which several new species of deer and antelope have been discovered since the 1990s. Some are so new that scientific description is still pending, although most have local names.

The Sumatran muntjac is a subspecies of Indian muntjac in the deer family which can be the size of a large dog. It was discovered in 1914, but had not been sighted since 1930 until one was snared and freed from a hunter's snare in Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia in 2002. Two other Sumatran muntjac have since been photographed in the park. The Sumatran muntjac was placed on the IUCN Red List in 2008, but was listed as Data Deficient, as taxonomic issues are still unresolved. The distribution of the taxon is also uncertain and may be more extensive than suggested. It is possible that some previous sightings of the common muntjac in Western Sumatra were the Sumatran muntjac.

The Pu Hoat muntjac is a species of muntjac only known from Pu Hoat region in Vietnam, which is bordering Laos. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with Roosevelt's muntjac, and its habitat and behavior are likely to be similar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolikhamsai province</span> Province of Laos

Bolikhamsai is a province of Laos. Pakxan, Thaphabat, Pakkading, Borikhane, Viengthong, and Khamkeut are its districts and Pakxan is its capital city. The province is the site of the Nam Theun 2 Dam, the country's largest hydroelectric project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khammouane province</span> Province of Laos

Khammouane province (Khammouan) is a province in the center of Laos. Its capital lies at Thakhek.

Nam Kading National Protected Area is a national protected area in Bolikhamsai Province in central Laos. This rugged and largely inaccessible park, cut through by its namesake Nam Kading river, is home to a wide variety of plant and animal species, some endangered. Due to its ruggedness, the park lacks any significant human settlement.

Vietic peoples refers to a group of ethnic groups of Southeast Asia.

References

  1. Timmins, R.J.; Duckworth, J.W.; Robichaud, W.; Long, B.; Gray, T.N.E. & Tilker, A. (2016). "Muntiacus vuquangensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T44703A22153828. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Stone, R. (2009). "Dam project reveals secret sanctuary of vanishing deer". Science. 325 (5945): 1192. doi:10.1126/science.325_1192b. PMID   19729627.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Giant muntjac". WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  5. Animal Info - Giant Muntjac