The Philippine brown deer is a diminutive, compactly-built deer with relatively short antlers that only reach 20 to 40 centimetres in length. In general, this species is entirely brown, with the exception of the underside of the tail, which is white. However, there are regional variations in colour, such as one population found on Mindanao where the deer’s coat has been reported to be a pale, sandy grey. Certain populations of the Philippine brown deer also differ significantly in body size. Consequently, the Philippine brown deer has been split by some authorities into a number of regionally separated subspecies.