COMMON DUIKER
The bush duiker has larger ears and is more slender, has longer legs and is lighter in colour than the forest duiker. The males have small horns and stand up to 50cm at the shoulders while the females are about 20mm taller. The females can weigh up to 21kg whereas the males reach about 18kg. Their underparts are white and they have a black band around their face near the nostrils.
The bush duiker is represented by only one species, which is the common, or Grimm’s duiker. They are mainly active in the late afternoon and into the night. They are very territorial, chasing away other members of the same sex. Male duikers often fight, especially when their territory is invaded. They live in fairly small territories, which they mark with secretions from the pre-orbital gland below each eye.
Males and females do share territories but only come together to mate. They spend a great amount of time grooming each other’s heads, which helps with pair bonding and also helps individuals identify their own species – which discourages inter species breading. Duiker courtship involves prolonged and noisy chases in the territory before mating, after which a single calf is born. A calf can run within hours of being born, although it tends to spend most of the time lying hidden within foliage. They grow quickly, reaching adult size within 6 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. They are the only antelope that is known to eat insects.
The duiker avoids predators by lying quietly and motionless and then dashing away at the last moment. It runs and dives in a zigzag motion and uses its horns and sharp black hooves as defence. To alarm others to danger they issue a nasal snort and, if caught, bleat loudly, attracting others to help. They are preyed upon by all medium to large predators, but mainly eagles, leopards, jackals, pythons and humans.
