The ‘Muntjac’, commonly known as the Barking Deer, is possibly among the most ancient deer species that roamed the earth, 15-25 million years ago. Fossil deposits of this amazing animal were found spread across France, Germany and Poland, an indication that it had adapted to extreme cold conditions too. It is also called the Kakad Deer in India. The reason for this name is its alarm call, which seems quite similar to the barking of a dog.

A Barking Deer

The deer is a subject of Evolution studies because of its chromosome variations – a unique feature of this shy and rare creature.  This often solitary animal is rarely spotted in groups.

It’s active at twilight, and although it mostly lives alone, it still keeps in touch with other individuals, leaving a scent on branches, and produced using a special gland on its head.

Shy By Nature!

Muntjacs are shy and cautious by nature and live in heavily wooded areas. They are very difficult to find, let alone photograph. A sub-species, the Leaf Muntjacs, were discovered in 1999 and are the smallest deer known in the world.

In India, these are found in abundance across the country and possibly their densest population is in the Nagarhole / Kabini range.

Rajan Kanagasabai

An ardent Environmentalist and an avid wildlife Photographer, Rajan is a prominent member of leading Environmental, Wildlife and Photography organizations. His works have been featured on several travel magazines. A frequent visitor to Orange County, Kabini and Coorg, Rajan specializes in Wildlife and Bird Photography. Possessing over 23 years of experience working in the IT Industry, Rajan holds a senior management position at one of India's top IT companies. Rajan has reviewed a number of global resorts for several leading travel journals and blogs and is also a Destination Expert for the renowned Trip Advisor travel forum.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 at 11:53 am and is filed under Herbivores, Mammal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.