The tufted deer are neighbors of wild giant pandas. They share the same habitat with pandas at Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, but they prefer to eat leaves, ferns, mosses, and various types of vegetation instead of bamboos. The creature gets its name from the noticeable tuft of black hair on its forehead, which makes it look like a character in the British television series "Teletubbies."
One way to distinguish the males from the females is to look for their canines. The males typically have canines like "vampire fangs" that can grow up to 2.6 centimeters long. These canines are crucial weapons during fights over territories or mates.
The tufted deer is now under second-class state protection in China, and listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
(All photos taken by He Xiao'an, head of the Publicity Department of Wolong National Nature Reserve Administration in Sichuan Province.)
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