Muntjac Eating Carrion?????

270Buck

Well-Known Member
Just been looking at a page from Wikipedia. They are suggesting that muntjac are an omnivore?


Indian Muntjac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Has anyone personally seen a muntjac eating birds' eggs as well as small animals and even carrion. I had never known this before if it is true? It seems unlikely??


The Common Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), also called the Red Muntjac[2], Indian Muntjac or Barking deer is the most numerous muntjac deer species. It has soft, short, brownish or greyish hair, sometimes with creamy markings. This species is omnivorous, feeding on fruits, shoots, seeds, birds' eggs as well as small animals and even carrion. It gives calls similar to barking, usually on sensing a predator (hence the common name for all muntjacs of barking deer).




Any thoughts.


Cheers


Ross
 
They will dig for moles and climb trees to get at eggs and fledglings.

(must remember to add that to the wiki page...)
 
I think it was University of East Anglia that filmed one eating some ground nesting bird fledglings which they were filming!
MS:)
 
put x2 canadas out for fox bait last last night those muntys better not eat em !!:D and before i get too much stick the said canadas were shi*ing all over the cricket square at school and and i did manage to chainsaw the breast meat off :rolleyes:
 
Believe it or not there are species such as the Yellow Back Duiker in West Africa which also eats rotting flesh and can be omniverous. This is usually for salts and minerals that they do not recieve from their natural food.

I have never seen or heard of a Munty undertaking such a deed but I would not be over suprised.
 
Was told by a respected keeper in Scotland that red deer will chew on bones to get the calcium :-|
Never seen a Muntie climbing trees though :-|
 
I saw one chasing a pheasant the other day!! Whether it would have eaten it if caught I don't know:lol: Probably protecting a fawn I guess??

ATB

T
 
Most deer spieces will eat cast antlers and bones from other dead animals I saw a red stag in the highlands with a dead dried up white hare in its mouth.In some of these harsh areas any extra source of vital feed values wont go astray.
 
IMHO not suprised if they are omniverous, just programmed to survive and will take nutrition and trace elements from where ever they find them, just like us really!:D
Just adds to the taste.
 
They have been known to stalk brown hares back to their forms in order that they might eat the leverets.
 
I'm sure Muntjac don't just have 'Sabre' teeth for self defence! :-|
They are rapidly colonising our small island and will eventually run out of space and food.
That's when they'll get a taste for human flesh I reckon!!?:scared:
Shoot them on sight! - Kill, or be killed!
MS:D
 
Most deer spieces will eat cast antlers and bones from other dead animals I saw a red stag in the highlands with a dead dried up white hare in its mouth.In some of these harsh areas any extra source of vital feed values wont go astray.

I am not surprised I have been known to eat Lancashire hotpot:stir:
 
Pike have been known to take young muntjac as they dive for carp.

Yeah! Who's laughing now, eh, monkey buck?
 
I have heard they caused the decline of the british puma by hunting down their cubs and eating them
 
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