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Muntjac deer are about the size of a Labrador dog,
and are the smallest deer in Britain. They originated in southeast China
and were brought to Woburn Park, Bedfordshire, by John Russell Reeves in
1838. During the 1920s, some individuals escaped and Muntjac
now breed successfully in the wild. Muntjac
have a deep reddish-brown glossy coat. When they are alarmed, they raise
their distinctive long, dark tail to reveal the white patch underneath.
Male and female Muntjac can
be distinguished by the dark markings on their face. Both sexes also
have very conspicuous dark pouches beneath their eyes, which are scent
glands, used to communicate with each other. Males have short, straight,
antlers, which point backwards and which are cast in May & June and
subsequently re-grow by the autumn. Males also have a set of two large
pointed teeth, which protrude from their upper lip and are used when
fighting other deer. They are usually solitary, secretive animals,
mainly active at night.
Habitat:
Dense
woodland with low shrubby areas and occasionally large gardens or small
woodland copses.
Status
& distribution:
Reeves' Muntjac
is an introduced species which is locally distributed but increasing in
number. They have been spreading rapidly throughout central and southern
Britain in the last thirty years and are now found as far north as
Cheshire and Derbyshire. They are not found in Ireland.
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