Outline:Ungulata
Family:Artiodactylus Bovidae Gazella
length:70-80cm
Weight:9.2-13.6kg
Life:About 15 years
IUCN:LC
The Red Duiker (Cephalophus natalensis) is the only red duiker in its range; it is larger and has a more reddish-brown coat than the blue duiker and the natalensis. The Habsburg duiker is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Red Duiker, but can be distinguished by its darker legs and black facial flames.
The red duiker is almost entirely a diurnal species, with significant activity peaks after dawn and before dusk. However, most of the day (24-69%) may be spent resting under dense green shade cover. Usually acts alone. They do not appear to be territorial, and the home ranges of multiple individuals may overlap. There are few lasting social connections. In overlapping territories, these duikers tend not to use the same territory at the same time. Home range size usually ranges from 2-15 hectares. Red duikers usually feed in open areas of the forest understory, but if frightened they will almost immediately rush out for cover. Although "duiker" means "diver" (they usually dive headfirst into dense vegetation), this species is an excellent jumper and can clear obstacles up to 1.6 meters. On many occasions, red duikers have been observed socializing with green monkeys, not only feeding on food dropped by the monkeys but also allowing the primates to groom them.
Red duikers feed mainly on fallen leaves, fruits, seeds and flowers. Natural enemies include many medium and large predators including leopards.
The red duiker is a non-seasonal breeding animal and can give birth year-round. The gestation period is 216 days. 1 litter per litter. Young antelope weigh about one kilogram at birth and are very dark in color - almost black. For at least the first two weeks, newborns are hidden in dense bushes and are regularly nurtured and nursed by their mothers. Life span is up to 15 years.
Densities recorded by Bowland in 1990 ranged from 1/0.5-1.0 ha in favorable habitats (e.g. St. Lucia) to 1/2.5-5.0 ha in unfavorable areas. East (1999) gave a total population estimate of approximately 42,000 individuals, although the actual number is likely much larger. Although a large portion of this range occurs in Mozambique, where overall recovery of wildlife populations is likely to include the red duiker (East 1999, Hoffmann and Bowland 2013), population trends are gradually declining throughout much of the species' range.
Listed in the "World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species" (IUCN) 2016 ver3.1 - Least Concern (LC).
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