A deer-like animal recently found in a Vietnamese nature reserve has been confirmed as a muntjac, a creature which was believed to have become extinct 84 years ago.
The animal was discovered alive and well in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve in the central province of Thanh Hoa.
Director of the Reserve Nguyen Dinh Hai said the animal, known scientifically as Muntiacus deer called Cervidae and was last identified in the Houaphan province of Laos in 1929.
A skull from a long-dead animal is displayed at the Museum of Natural History in the US.
From 2012-2014, the Centre for Natural Resources and Environment Studies (CRES) at the Hanoi National University has worked with the reserve to try and identify a muntjac and preserve it, after sightings were reported and experts identified the faeces of the animal in the park. They also found samples of hide and horn at several local hunting households.
Through DNA tests from the recently discovered animal, scientists have confirmed that the new samples are identical to those found in the specimen at the museum./.
The animal was discovered alive and well in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve in the central province of Thanh Hoa.
Director of the Reserve Nguyen Dinh Hai said the animal, known scientifically as Muntiacus deer called Cervidae and was last identified in the Houaphan province of Laos in 1929.
A skull from a long-dead animal is displayed at the Museum of Natural History in the US.
From 2012-2014, the Centre for Natural Resources and Environment Studies (CRES) at the Hanoi National University has worked with the reserve to try and identify a muntjac and preserve it, after sightings were reported and experts identified the faeces of the animal in the park. They also found samples of hide and horn at several local hunting households.
Through DNA tests from the recently discovered animal, scientists have confirmed that the new samples are identical to those found in the specimen at the museum./.
