What deer from Thailand with branched antlers went extinct in 1938?

Schomburgk's deer was the Thai deer with remarkable branched antlers that disappeared in 1938. Its scientific name was Rucervus schomburgki, and it was endemic to the swampy grasslands and floodplains of central Thailand, especially the Chao Phraya River valley.

Males had unusually elaborate, basket-like antlers in which the main tines branched repeatedly; some racks had as many as 33 points. Females did not have antlers. The deer lived in herds on open plains, but seasonal flooding forced animals onto small patches of high ground, making them especially easy targets for hunters.

Rice cultivation and commercial agriculture destroyed much of the species’ wetland and grassland habitat during the late nineteenth century. Hunting then reduced the remaining wild population, which is thought to have disappeared by 1932. The last known captive animal lived at a temple near Samut Sakhon and was killed in 1938, the date traditionally used for the species’ extinction. Reports of similar antlers in Laos have prompted occasional survival claims, but Schomburgk’s deer is classified as extinct.