Fea’s muntjac is a small deer of forests in Thailand and southernmost Myanmar that is active alone at night.
It has reddish-brown fur and dark facial markings. Only males have antlers.
Camera traps surveyed three muntjac species in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve in southern Tibet from 2013 to 2021. Cameras at 201 sites accumulated 56,151 camera-days and produced 1,210 independent muntjac photos. Researchers compared body size, coat colour and tail markings to distinguish red, Gongshan and Fea’s muntjacs.
Fea’s muntjac appeared in 189 independent photos. In females, the black back of the tail helped distinguish it from the orange-tailed red muntjac. The authors reported the first field photograph of Fea’s muntjac since its naming in 1887. A Random Encounter Model estimated 3,142 ± 942 individuals in the reserve.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
At the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve, a 2013–2021 survey recorded three muntjac species across 201 camera sites and 56,151 camera-days. Fea’s muntjac was identified in 189 independent photos, and researchers compared its appearance with two related muntjacs. A habitat model mapped 5,657 km² of suitable distribution for Fea’s muntjac within the reserve. The Random Encounter Model estimated 3,142 ± 942 Fea’s muntjacs in the reserve, compared with 7,788 ± 3,866 red muntjacs and 6,673 ± 2,121 Gongshan muntjacs. The main suitable areas of Fea’s and Gongshan muntjacs lay on opposite sides of the Yarlung Zangbo River.