A dark-coated muntjac with a reddish forehead tuft, it may raise its white-lined tail and give a deep bark when anxious or confronted.
Its coat is black to dark brown, with a thick, long cinnamon-red tuft above and between the eyes. White fur beneath the long tail extends onto the inner thighs.
A camera-trap survey ran from March 2022 to March 2023 in Jiulongfeng Nature Reserve on Huangshan Mountain, Anhui, China. Thirty-two infrared cameras operated for 7,964 camera-days and produced 7,625 independent detections of 15 medium- and large-sized mammal species, including the Black Muntjac. The researchers used time-stamped records to examine activity and elevation patterns.
Black Muntjacs accounted for 318 independent detections and had a relative abundance index of 3.99. They were mainly active by day, with morning and evening peaks; in winter, activity shifted to a single peak around 6 p.m. Records were concentrated at mid-altitude throughout the year, which the authors linked to dense understorey that may provide forage and shelter from disturbance.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Year-round mid-altitude records may reflect Black Muntjacs’ use of dense understorey, which the authors identify as a possible source of forage and refuge from disturbance.