Before I read this news article, I did not know that there was such a thing as the Kashmir musk deer, with thin fangs hanging down on both sides of its mouth. These are, in fact, very rare animals that live in forested slopes of Afghanistan. The males use their fangs to fight other males during the mating season (but not to suck blood!). Scientists had last seen them living in 1948, when on a research expedition, but since then, they have been listed as an endangered species. They were not believed to be extinct, because their scent glands are sold on the black market as a traditional medicine and for perfume for $20,000/pound (more valuable than gold), but illegal poaching had dramatically reduced their numbers.
The Wildlife Conservation Society trains and funds local people in Afghanistan to monitor its wildlife, since nonprofit groups have not been able to send researchers to the area since 2010 due to heightened security concerns. The surveyors sighted at least three musk deer in steep, rocky outcrops surrounded by vegetation, including at least one male and a female with a juvenile. This discovery highlights a critical need to protect this species, as well as other rediscovered animals such as the Persian leopard, in Afghanistan's wildlands.
Click one of the links to see a picture of the musk deer with its fangs!
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141031120449.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/10/31/fanged-deer-pops-up-in-afghanistan-60-years-after-its-last-appearance/
The Wildlife Conservation Society trains and funds local people in Afghanistan to monitor its wildlife, since nonprofit groups have not been able to send researchers to the area since 2010 due to heightened security concerns. The surveyors sighted at least three musk deer in steep, rocky outcrops surrounded by vegetation, including at least one male and a female with a juvenile. This discovery highlights a critical need to protect this species, as well as other rediscovered animals such as the Persian leopard, in Afghanistan's wildlands.
Click one of the links to see a picture of the musk deer with its fangs!
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141031120449.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/10/31/fanged-deer-pops-up-in-afghanistan-60-years-after-its-last-appearance/