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The duiker has lived up to 14 years in captivity (Nowak 1991). Pythons have been found dead after being punctured by the duiker's horns during digestion (Kingdon 1982).

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Type for Sylvicapra grimmia
Catalog Number: USNM 182219
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Mammals
Sex/Stage: Male;
Preparation: Skin; Skull
Collector(s): E. Heller
Year Collected: 1911
Locality: Voi, Coast Province, Kenya, Africa

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Sourcehttp://collections.mnh.si.edu/search/mammals/?irn=7263573

In certain African cultures, the horn is used to make pendants that are thought to ward off evil spirits (Kingdon 1982).

Positive Impacts: food

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Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions

The Natal Red Duiker is well represented in several well-managed protected areas such as Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania), Maputo Game Reserve (Mozambique), Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and Ndumo G.R. (South Africa) (East 1999; Hoffmann and Bowland in press).

There is a need for further taxonomic work to investigate the status of this species relative to Harvey's Red Duiker.

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In captivity, blue duikers typically live for 10 to 15 years, but the oldest recorded captive individual survived until it was nearly 16 years of age. In the wild, lifespan is shorter, with the oldest known individual surviving to age 12. Captive duikers are commonly afflicted with several illness, most notable of those is 'sloshing syndrome' or rumen hypomotility syndrome. This illness is characterized by a build-up within the rumen caused by limited activity.

Range lifespan
Status: wild: 12 (high) years.

Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 16 (high) years.

Typical lifespan
Status: captivity: 10 to 15 years.

  • Honolulu Zoo. 2008. "Blue Duiker" (On-line). Honolulu Zoo. Accessed March 11, 2010 at http://www.honoluluzoo.org/blue_duiker.htm.
  • Willette, M., T. Norton, C. Miller, M. Lamm. 2002. Veterinary Concerns of Captive Duikers. Zoo Biology, 21: 197-207.
  • de Magalhaes, J., A. Budovsky, G. Lehmann, J. Costa, Y. Li, V. Fraifeld, G. Church. 2002. "The Human Ageing Genomic Resources: online databases and tools for biogerontologists" (On-line). AnAge. Accessed March 10, 2010 at http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Cephalophus_monticola.
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Blue duikers are among the most common duikers hunted for bushmeat. Many human groups living near the Congo basin rely heavily on the meat obtained from duikers for food and income.

Positive Impacts: food

  • Newing, H. 2001. Bushmeat Hunting and Management: Implications of Duiker Ecology and Interspecific Competition. Biodiversity and Conservation, 10/1: 99-108.
  • Yasuoka, H. 2006. The Sustainability of Duiker (Cephalophus Spp.) Hunting for the Baka Hunter-Gatherers in Southeastern Cameroon. African Study Monographs, 33: 95-120.
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This speices of duiker is found in areas of central, eastern, and southern Africa which provide sufficient amounts of cover. They inhabit savannas, grasslands, and woodlands. They also live in mountainous regions and are found at higher altitudes than any other African ungulates. They are not found in deserts or densely wooded areas such as the rainforests.

Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest ; mountains

  • Nowak, R. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Kingdon, J. 1982. East African Mammals - An Atlas of Evolution in Africa. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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Sourcehttp://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Sylvicapra_grimmia/

Common duiker:

The common duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia, also known as the grey or bush duiker, is a small antelope with small horns found in west, central, east, and southern Africa- essentially everywhere in Africa south of the Sahara, excluding the Horn of Africa and the rainforests of the central and western parts of the continent. Generally, they are found in habitats with sufficient vegetation cover to allow them to hide—savanna and hilly areas, including the fringes of human settlements.


Common duiker in Kruger National Park

Description[edit]

Colouration of this species varies widely over its vast geographic range. As many as 19 subspecies are thought to exist, ranging from chestnut in forested areas of Angola to grizzled gray in northern savannas and light brown shades in arid regions. It grows to about 50 cm (20 in) in height and generally weighs 12 to 25 kg (26 to 55 lb); although females are generally larger and heavier than the males. The males' horns can grow to 11 cm (4.3 in) long.

Behavior[edit]

Breeding is year round and the female gives birth to one fawn after a gestation period of what is variously estimated at 3.0 to 7.5 months. The common duiker has a wide diet; beyond herbivorous browsing for leaves, flowers, fruits and tubers, they will also eat insects, frogs, small birds and mammals, and even carrion. As long as they have vegetation to eat (from which they get some water), they can go without drinking for very long periods. In the rainy season, they will frequently not drink water at all, instead obtaining fluids from fruits. They will often scavenge for these fruits below trees in which monkeys are feeding. They are active both day and night, but become more nocturnal near human settlements.


Juvenile male common duiker in Kidepo Valley National Park, Uganda

Males are territorial and smear gland secretions on rocks and branches to mark their territories; their preferred resting places are generally on elevated ground, where they can observe their territory. Females, by contrast, prefer deeper cover. The overall success of this species stems from its ability to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, as well as from its adaptable, generalist diet.

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sylvicapra grimmia.
  1. ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008). Sylvicapra grimmia. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
  • Animal, Smithsonian Institution, 2005, pg. 250
  • "Collins guide to African wildlife", Peter C. Alden, Richard D. Estes, Duane Schlitter, Bunny Mcbride, Harper Collins publishers, September 2004
  • "Dorling Kindersley Mammal handbook", Editorial consultant; Juliet Clutton-Brock, Dorling Kindersley limited, 2002
  • East African Wildlife,Philip Briggs,Bradt Travel Guides Limited,2007
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Sourcehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_duiker&oldid=650442347

Conservation:

The Natal duiker occurs in a number of protected areas, including the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, South Africa and Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania; both Natural World Heritage Sites (6) (7). In some areas in southern Africa, the Natal duiker has been reintroduced to some of its former range (3). Otherwise, there are no specific conservation measures known to be in place for this duiker. The threats it faces, bushmeat hunting and habitat loss, are complex issues that need to be addressed with a diversity of approaches if the numerous species affected are to survive.

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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing:

Maximum longevity: 15.9 years (captivity) Observations: In the wild these animals live up to 12 years (Bernhard Grzimek 1990). One captive specimen was still alive after 15.9 years. A hybrid between a zebra duiker and a blue duiker lived 20.3 years (Richard Weigl 2005).

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