Based on skulls collected in the dense Vietnamese jungles, scientists have identified a deer-like animal with tiny antlers and a dog-like bark as a previously unknown species, the World Wildlife Fund reported.
The group said Thursday that an international expedition will return to Vietnam in October hoping for live sightings of what a genetic analysis of tissue samples shows to be a previously unknown species of muntjac.Named after the rugged mountain range separating Vietnam and Laos, the Truong Son muntjac is more dog-size than deer-size, weighing an estimated 34 pounds and standing about 14 inches at the shoulder, the WWF said.
The animal is widely hunted for its meat. Sixteen adult and two fawn skulls were obtained from hunters during an expedition to Vietnam in March and April and were analyzed at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
"Vietnam continues to yield some of this century's most exciting wildlife discoveries many areas relatively untouched since prehistoric times," said Dr. Eric Wikramanayake, senior conservation scientist for the wildlife group's Indochina program.
Two other mammal species unknown to the world until identified in 1992 and 1993 in Vietnam, he said, were the soala, or Vu Quang ox, and the giant muntjac.