Elaphodus cephalophus
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus) is a small species of deer characterized by a prominent tuft of black hair on its forehead and fang-like canines for the males. It is a close relative of the muntjac, living somewhat further north over a wide area of central China and northeastern Myanmar. Suffering from overhunting and habitat loss, this deer is considered near-threatened. It is the only member of the genus Elaphodus.
Four subspecies of the tufted deer are recognized, with one having doubtful taxonomic status: E. c. cephalophus – the largest subspecies, brownish coat, found in southwestern China and northeastern Myanmar. E. c. michianus – has a relatively narrow snout, found in southeastern China.
E. c. ichangensis – has a relatively broad snout, with a grey-brown coat, found in Central China. E. c. forciensus – doubtful subspecies, distribution unclear. The tufted deer is similar to a muntjac in appearance, but the longer necks and legs give it a slightly leaner appearance. The coat is coarse with short and stiff hairs, being almost black in the winter and chocolate brown in the summer. The lips, tip of the ears, and the underside of the tails... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Diergaarde Blijdorp | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 5 | Akron Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Plaswijckpark | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Kung Fu Corals | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Jiuzhaigou National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tufted Deer sighting in Jiuzhaigou National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Tufted Deer in Jiuzhaigou National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month. That is one of Jiuzhaigou National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 180 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tufted Deer sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Jiuzhaigou National Park, in our data
Jiuzhaigou National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Tufted Deer sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tufted Deer is recorded against all the mammals logged in Jiuzhaigou National Park (18 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
