Hairy-fronted muntjac
Encyclopedia
The Hairy-fronted Muntjac or Black Muntjac (Muntiacus crinifrons) is found in Zhejiang
, Anhui
, Jiangxi
and Fujian
in South China, also reported in northern Myanmar
and Southern Tibet. Although extremely difficult to study because of its shyness, it is considered to be endangered, possibly down to as few as 5-10,000 individuals spread over a wide area. It is a similar size to the common muntjac.
This species was for a very long time one of the most poorly known deer in the world. It was also considered highly endangered; up to 1975, it was only known from a few museum specimens, at least to western scientists. The species has been heavily harvested throughout the 20th century and in 1978 at least 2,000 animals were killed. The current population in China was assessed in the early 1990s to be ca 10,000 animals however it has declined much since and the current population is likely to be well under 7,000.
The species was considered endemic only to China for a long time, although a survey in North-eastern Myanmar (close to the Chinese border) was carried out as early as 1938 after reports of a black barking deer there. That expedition failed to find any specimens and it was only in 1997 that two expeditions discovered evidence suggesting that the species was endemic to North-eastern Myanmar. A few dozen skins and antlers of animals killed by hunters were collected from several villages by the first expedition, and over 50 skins were found during the second survey, exhibiting similarities to the animals in China; DNA samples taken from the collected skins showed that the animals collected in Myanmar were identical to animals found in China. The number of animals in Myanmar is suggested to be similar to those in China, bringing up the total world population to some 10,000-13,000 animals.
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
and Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
in South China, also reported in northern Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
and Southern Tibet. Although extremely difficult to study because of its shyness, it is considered to be endangered, possibly down to as few as 5-10,000 individuals spread over a wide area. It is a similar size to the common muntjac.
This species was for a very long time one of the most poorly known deer in the world. It was also considered highly endangered; up to 1975, it was only known from a few museum specimens, at least to western scientists. The species has been heavily harvested throughout the 20th century and in 1978 at least 2,000 animals were killed. The current population in China was assessed in the early 1990s to be ca 10,000 animals however it has declined much since and the current population is likely to be well under 7,000.
The species was considered endemic only to China for a long time, although a survey in North-eastern Myanmar (close to the Chinese border) was carried out as early as 1938 after reports of a black barking deer there. That expedition failed to find any specimens and it was only in 1997 that two expeditions discovered evidence suggesting that the species was endemic to North-eastern Myanmar. A few dozen skins and antlers of animals killed by hunters were collected from several villages by the first expedition, and over 50 skins were found during the second survey, exhibiting similarities to the animals in China; DNA samples taken from the collected skins showed that the animals collected in Myanmar were identical to animals found in China. The number of animals in Myanmar is suggested to be similar to those in China, bringing up the total world population to some 10,000-13,000 animals.