Members of the genus Muntiacus are known as barking deer. Methods of communication specific to leaf deer are not currently known; however, the presence of traits across the rest of the genus imply leaf deer may also have similar characteristics. Indian muntjacs and Reeve's muntjacs produce sharp, dog-like barks. It is hypothesized that muntjac deer produce these calls in response to visual stimuli, such as predators, in the dense forests where visibility is restricted. This may serve as a warning to other nearby individuals or as a pronouncement of vigilance, a form of anti-predator behavior.
Communication Channels: acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
The conservation status of leaf deer is listed as data deficient. As with many other facts about this recently discovered species, population information is difficult to collect due to their solitary lifestyle and habitat preference. Leaf deer ranges could be larger than what is currently known and as a result, conclusions regarding conservation status cannot be made. Hunting of muntjacs in Arunachal Pradesh was prohibited by the Wildlife Protection Act in 1973, although documentation suggests hunting has persisted since then. In Myanmar, leaf deer occupy regions outside any protection areas. More observations need to be made to make further conclusions about leaf deer. They occupy isolated mountainous regions in areas that are relatively inaccessible, due to the rugged nature of the landscape as well as political instability. These factors have made travel for observations rather cumbersome and possibly dangerous.
There are no recorded negative impacts of leaf deer on humans.
Leaf deer are relatively important economically for humans in the Indian and Asian areas. They are heavily exploited and are reportedly easy to capture with bear traps and are often shot by hunters. The meat of leaf deer is eaten and their skins are sold for leather.
Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material
There are no reports regarding the roles that leaf deer may play in an ecosystem. We can speculate, due to the knowledge of their diet, that leaf deer may hold an important role in dispersing seeds of fruit on which they feed. They digest the ovaries of the fruit and upon defecation; they may excrete the seeds in a variety of areas.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Given their similarity to a hypothetical ancient deer group, it is suspected that leaf deer are selective browsers of dense forests. Stomach content analyses have revealed that they are frugivores; the majority of their stomach contents consisted of partially digested fruits. Members of genus Muntiacus have been described as “nibblers”, preferring to eat fallen fruits. When they do browse, they are selective and only consume buds, flowers or the blades of leaves. Their morphology reflects their feeding habit; they have long tongues and wide lower incisors, both of which aid in collecting fallen fruit. This morphology can be contrasted to that of large grazers, who have large cutting incisors. Muntjacs move slowly while feeding, keeping their nose close to the ground and only moving a small distance.
Plant Foods: leaves; fruit; flowers
Primary Diet: herbivore (Frugivore )
Leaf deer (also known as leaf muntjacs), Muntiacus putaoensis, have been discovered in the Indo-Malayan ecozone and the Sino-Himalayan subregion of the Palearctic ecozone, which both extend across Asia. This geographic range is not surprising as it is consistent with the distribution of the entire Muntiacus genus, which is widespread in Asia. Specifically, leaf deer have been recently described in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is rich in biodiversity. Leaf deer have also been previously described in northern Myanmar (Burma) and China. Leaf deer were identified in 1997, and due to this recent discovery, the extent of their geographic range is still being determined.
Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native )
Leaf deer occupy the forests of isolated mountainous regions. They inhabit a wide array of forest types including tropical evergreen rainforests, sub-tropical hill forests and warm and cool temperate rainforests. Leaf deer have been observed at a range of elevations, from tropical evergreen forests at 800 m, to cool temperate rainforests at 3,000 m. Recently, leaf deer have been spotted in Arunachal Pradesh, which has 82% forest cover and high annual rainfall. There have also been reports of leaf deer inhabiting isolated mountains of both the Palearctic and Indo-Malayan ecozones. In China, leaf deer have been described along the western escarpment of the Yunnan Province and in mid-temperate areas with high floral densities.
Range elevation: 800 to 3000 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest
Information regarding the lifespan of the leaf deer is currently unknown.
Leaf deer are among the smallest known muntjacs. Their common name is derived from the practice of hunters wrapping their small bodies in a single Phrynium capitatum leaf. Their specific epithet is derived from the town they where they were first discovered, Putao, Myanmar.
Leaf deer are small cervids, commonly referred to as "fossil" deer, possessing "ancient deer" features. They currently represent the smallest known species of muntjacs, standing an average of 50 cm at the shoulder and weighing no more than 15 kg, with an average body weight of 12 kg (± 1.1 kg). They have an average head-body length of 80 cm (± 3 cm) and an average tail length of 10 cm (± 1.6 cm).
Leaf deer have small, rounded ears, with an average length of about 7.1 cm, which are more often than not, ripped and damaged. They have a patch of longer hair, forming a tuft in their forehead region. Generally, leaf deer are similar to common muntjacs, with reddish yellow pelage and a darkened anterior portion of their legs. They have dark facial markings that extend to the crown of their heads and have white ventral fur. Pelage coloration is variable, contingent on the particular individual, their age group, as well as the season of observation. Female leaf deer have been noted to be darker in early spring than early summer. This variation in pelage may be an adaptation to their woody environment and assist in avoiding predator detection. Leaf deer fawns are a rich chestnut color, but in contrast to common or Reeve's muntjacs, leaf deer fawns lack spots. As leaf deer fawns age, their pelage fades from a rich chestnut to the yellowish brown seen in adults. Leaf deer fawns reach adult height by the first year after birth, but may not reach adult weight for several years.
They show no sexual dimorphism in body size, but male and female leaf deer do differ in the presence or absence of antlers. Male leaf deer antlers are relatively short, ranging from 1 to 6 cm and, consistent with other muntjacs, are grown on large pedicels. Contrary to other muntjacs, leaf deer pedicels curve inward, causing the gap between the pointed, single-tine antlers to be small. Antlers are occasionally cast from deer that are at least 20 to 22 months old, but it is not a regular occurrence and is more commonly associated with older males. Most male cervids cast their antlers regularly and do not mate until after their antlers are hard again; however, muntjacs do not follow this pattern.
A feature of leaf deer that is not common to the entire genus is the presence of prominent frontal glands. Likewise, their skulls have large pre-orbital fossa. Another unique feature of leaf deer is the presence of tusks, formed from enlarged canines. These tusks have an average length of 2.4 cm and are often damaged or scraped. Their maximum skull length is about 20 cm, with an average of 17.5 cm (± 0.39 cm). They have an average nasal length of 4.7 cm (± 0.37 cm), an average nasal width of 1.6 cm (± 0.15 cm) and an average braincase width of 4.7 cm (± 0.3 cm). Their dental formula is (i 0/3, c 1/1, pm 3/3, m 3/3) X 2 = 34.
Average mass: 12 kg.
Average length: 80 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: ornamentation
Other than humans, there are no documented predators specific to leaf deer. They are often shot by hunters or trapped in bear claw traps. Given the distribution of leaf deer in Asian areas, possible predators include: tigers, leopards, Asian black bears and Asiatic wild dogs.
Specific information on the mating systems of leaf deer has yet to be discovered.
Most male cervids cast their antlers regularly and do not mate again until their antlers are hard, which results in a regular birthing pattern, given that mating only occurs during certain months. Leaf deer do not exhibit a regular birthing pattern; rather, fawns are born during all months of the year. Although there are reports of higher reproductive outputs during certain times of the year, consistent with common muntjacs and Reeve's muntjacs, there is no defined reproduction pattern. In particular, pregnant and lactating females have been observed in early May, suggesting a higher breeding output in the late spring.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
The level of parental investment shown by leaf deer is unclear. However, reports of a sub-species of Indian muntjacs, Muntiacus muntjac malabaricus, indicate that female juveniles stay with their mothers longer than male juveniles. Fawns have been observed moving with their mothers, but usually spend their first two months immobile.
The leaf muntjac, leaf deer or Putao muntjac (Muntiacus putaoensis) is a small species of muntjac.[3] 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.[3] 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.[3] It is found in Myanmar and India.[4]
The leaf muntjac is uniquely found in dense forests of Myanmar, in the Hukawng Valley region to the Northeast of Putao, hence its scientific epithet, and to the south of the Nam Tamai branch of the Mai Hka River. It is found at an altitude of 450 to 600 m — the transition zone between tropical forests and temperate ones. Its existence in India was first reported from Lohit district in eastern Arunachal Pradesh[5] In 2002, it was reported also to exist in Namdapha Tiger Reserve, also in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, India.[6] It has also been noted from the Lohit and Changlang region and near Noklak in Nagaland.[7] It probably inhabits suitable habitat over the entire junction of the Pātkai Bum and the Kumon Taungdan ranges. In 2008 and 2009, its presence was reported in several new areas of Arunachal Pradesh.[8][9]
An adult leaf deer stands at just 20 inches (50 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs less than 25 pounds (11 kg). They are light brown. Males have unbranched antlers that are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in height. Other than this, the male and female deer are identical.[3] This species is unusual among other deer because their offspring do not bear any spots. It also differs from other muntjacs because both the male and female have pronounced canine tusks.[3] The leaf deer species characteristics of being small, preferring to roam alone, and living in habitats of dense forests in the mountains resembles the characteristics of ancient species of deer.
Information on leaf muntjac behavior is limited, but similar muntjacs are often crepuscular, with others being both nocturnal and diurnal. In addition, leaf muntjacs are usually solitary,[2][10][11] except for during the female muntjac’s pregnancy, in which case the male mating partner will also be present.[6] Fruit and leaf traces upon autopsy indicates their diets contribute to local seed dispersal practices.[6]
On the IUCN Red List this species is classified as Data Deficient, as there is lack of certainty about its morphology, distribution, taxonomy and ecology. There has been evidence of persistent hunting by local people and this suggests that numbers are decreasing.
The leaf muntjac, leaf deer or Putao muntjac (Muntiacus putaoensis) 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.
