The body is covered with short, soft hairs, except for the ears, which are sparsely haired.
Coloration varies from deep brown to yellowish or grayish brown with creamy or whitish markings.
In M. crinifrons the head is decidedly lighter than the body. Antlers are carried only by males and are shed annually in most species. The females have small bony knobs and tufts of hair where the antlers occur in the males. Muntjacs usually are found in forests and areas of dense vegetation, from sea level to medium elevations in hilly country. They generally do not occur far from water.