With its
fangs hanging ready for action, the Kashmir musk deer reappeared last year in Afghanistan
60 years after its last sighting in1948.
Luckily these herbivores aren’t in search for blood. A bite from one of their fangs would make a nip
from Dracula seem painless!
These fanged
bucks bare their teeth to impress hot does, and to fight off other deer. Unfortunately, while the deer are looking for
does, hunters are looking for them.
Their meat is a local delicacy. Apparently
they are worth over $20,455 per pound
($45,000 per kilogram), according to the International Union for Conservation
of Nature, on the black market.
Their scent glands are used for medicines and perfumes. Because of destruction of habitat and poaching,
the musk deer has become an endangered species, and like vampires, they are
pretty darn hard to photograph.
Works cited:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/10/31/fanged-deer-pops-up-in-afghanistan-60-years-after-its-last-appearance/
http://www.livescience.com/48585-fanged-deer-sighting-afghanistan.html
