Elusive Deer with Vampire-like Fangs Spotted for the First Time in More Than 60 Years

Have you ever heard of a fanged deer? Most people haven't, especially since it hasn't been sighted for more than 60 years. Yet now, scientists have spotted this elusive and unusual deer in Afghanistan, confirming that this creature still exists in the rugged forested slopes of the country.

Known as the Kashmir musk deer, this deer possesses vampire-like fangs that reach downward from each corner of its mouth. The males use these fangs during rutting season in order to compete with one another. It's one of seven similar species found in Asia, and the last scientific sighting in Afghanistan was in 1948. While some feared this deer to be extinct in the wild, it seems as if that isn't the case.

The species is categorized as endangered on the IUCN Red List. This is mainly due to habitat loss and poaching. Its scent glands, in particular, are coveted by wildlife traffickers that sell them on the black market.

In this case, scientists recorded five sightings of this fanged deer. This included a solitary male in the same area on three occasions, one female with a juvenile and one solitary female, which may have been the same individual without her young. All of the sightings were in steep rocky outcrops interspersed with alpine meadows and scattered, dense high bushes of juniper and rhododendron.

"Musk deer are one of Afghanistan's living treasures," said Peter Zahler, co-author of the new study detailing the findings, in a news release. "This rare species, along with better known wildlife such as snow leopards, are the natural heritage of this struggling nation. We hope that conditions will stabilize soon to allow WCS and local partners to better evaluate conservation needs of this species."

The findings are published in the journal Oryx.