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The Vampire Deer
Interesting Creatures
By Shervin Belgrave
Kaieteur News – The name vampire deer might send shivers down your spine, but these creatures do not suck blood and is definitely harmless.
Shervin Belgrave
They are quite small herbivores without antlers and are only called vampire deer because of their long scary looking fangs.
There are two main species of Vampire deer, The Chinese water deer-found mainly in China- and the Siberian Musk deer-found in the Siberian jungle and other areas of Asia and Europe.
The fangs of the Siberian Musk deer, according to scientists, are much longer than that of the Chinese water deer and are more like tusks.
While animals with such long pointed scary fangs are carnivores and use them to rip through the flesh of their prey, the vampire deer uses them to defend its territory from intruders and fend off predators.
Although they do not live up to their name as blood suckers, vampire deer do have some things in common with real vampires.
Both species are solitary creatures but may sometimes be seen in pairs-during mating seasons, or groups of threes. They are also rarely seen and are only active in the nights or during twilight.
The Siberian Musk deer.
Although the two species have similar behaviour patters, they are quite different in appearances and live in different habitats.
The Siberian Musk deer inhabits the mid range altitudes of the mountainous areas of Asia, such the Himalayas and are dark brown with a greyish looking head and yellowish or white spots. They also have long muscular hind legs with much slender, weaker and shorter front limbs. The fangs of males also grow longer as they age.
The Chinese Water deer
The Chinese water deer on the other hand are good swimmers and are mostly found in the low land areas of Chinese provinces. They are a lighter shade of brown and are much fuzzier looking than the Siberian Musk deer that some individuals describe as teddy bears.
Although these legend-like creatures are more native to Asia, they can be found in some parts of Europe.
Source of information (https://worlddeer.org/vampire-deer/)
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