Why do tufted deer have fangs

They were first kept in captivity at the London Zoo in , but a group escaped in and began to populate the UK countryside. So how did these special animals end up with fangs, while other deer have antlers? But as they evolved, larger species grew larger antlers and lost their fangs, while smaller deer kept their tusks and only developed smaller antlers. Such signals would be less useful in dense brush. They published the findings Nov. Register or Log In.

The Magazine Shop. Login Register Stay Curious Subscribe. Planet Earth. These deer also seek the availability of salt licks in their environment. Tufted deer are crepuscular, being more active at night and during the evening, and timid during the day. They form bonded pairs or live a solitary life, and travel using fixed routes within their territory.

Males will defend their territories, fighting with other males, slashing at each other with their elongated canines. They prefer places that have good cover, so they can be well camouflaged. They are disturbed easily and when alarmed will make a barking sound before they run away in a wild sort of pattern, showing their white tail with every jump, and flopping down after their run, making it difficult for an enemy to follow.

Barking occurs also in the breeding season, to locate and communicate with partners. Tufted deer eat leaves, grasses, twigs, fruits, and other kinds of vegetation. Tufted deer are polygynous, an adult male mating with many females during one mating season.

The season lasts from September to December, when males bark to attract females. Gestation lasts about 6 months, with 1—2 young being born in early summer. Soon after birth, newborns are capable of standing. Their mother nurses and cares for them until they are independent, at 6 months old. Tufted deer are sexually mature between the ages of eighteen months and two years.

Hunting for meat and fur by local people is the main threat to Tufted deer, with thousands of individuals being killed each year. This species also suffers from logging and deforestation for agriculture, as it threatens their habitat.

There is an assumption that population in China was between , and , animals in It was the first and last scientist-confirmed sighting of this rare species in Afghanistan, until now. A study from the Wildlife Conservation Society WCS , published in Oryx , confirms that the deer is still alive in the region — researchers reported five sightings — more than 60 years later.

The species' male deer may not have antlers, but, during the breeding season, they do sports frightening "fangs.

Seven types of musk deer roam the forests and alpine scrub in the mountains of Asia.