Red-Flanked Duiker

ANIMAL:
Red-Flanked Duiker Cephalophus rufilatus

Type of Animal:
Antelope

Habitat:
Wooded savanna, savanna woodland, open/closed woodland, riparian riverside/riverine forest/woodland, gallery forest, savanna-forest transition zones w/ elephant grass and/or caperbush/tree acanthus shrubs, forest/woodland margins/edges/outliers/clearings, forest relics, open savanna, thickets (especially forest & riverine ones), drainage lines/river basins w/ elephant grass and/or caperbush/tree acanthus shrubs, areas w/ rocky outcrops, dry valleys within savanna/riparian/forest areas, farm bush, thick vegetation close to springs

Location(s):
Ranges from Senegal to NE Democratic Republic of Congo, far NW Uganda, & W South Sudan

Appearance:
Small & stocky w/ rounded back, bright foxy red w/ wide bluish-gray band along spine extending from shoulders to rump, short bluish-gray legs, dark blaze running down center of face, dark muzzle/lower lip, whitish upper lip/jaw underside, dark forehead w/ black hair tufts, large ears, short spike-like horns, horns longer on males, many females hornless

Food/Diet:
Leaves, flowers, fruit, twigs, seeds, berries, branches, shoots, fungi, greens, tree/shrub/herb foliage, vegetables, roots, tubers, cultivated plants, small birds, small mammals, carrion

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos & wildlife parks

Lifestyle:
Solitary or male-female pairs

Additional Info:

Called:
Male: Buck
Female: Doe
Young: Calf/Fawn
Group: Pair
 
Weight:
Adult: 26-27 lbs
Young: 12 lbs

Gestation:
8 months 

Life Span:
7 years in wild, 10-15 years in captivity

Height:
1.083-1.25 ft

Body Length:
2.3 ft

Tail Length:
2.75-3.94 in

Main predators are felids, wild dogs, jackals, hyenas, large raptors, pythons, crocodiles, & chimps.
 
Use scent glands below eyes to mark territory. Have largest preorbital glands of all duikers.
 
Due to diet, they play important role in seed dispersal.
 
While not known to make much noise, alarm call is shrill bark/loud snort.
 
Females mark calves/fawns w/ secretions from preorbital glands directly after birth & when grooming.
 
Courtship consists of male following/biting/licking female genitalia. When females in heat, they squat extra low while urinating. Females show receptivity by swelling/reddening of vulva.
 
Have good eyesight, sense of smell, & hearing.
 
Active during day, especially early morning & late afternoon.
 
Sexually mature at 9 months old.

Fun Fact(s):
Very shy & flighty both in wild & in captivity.
 
“Duiker” comes from Afrikaans word meaning “diver” due to way they dive for cover when threatened.
Red-Flanked Duiker, Brookfield Zoo, me

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