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Classification
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Cephalophus
dorsalis
Bay duiker, Black-backed duiker
Taxonomy
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photographs
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General Characteristics
Body Length: 70-100 cm / 2.3-3.3 ft.
Shoulder Height: 40-55 cm / 16-22 in.
Tail Length: 8-15 cm / 3.2-6 in.
Weight: 15-20 kg / 33-44 lb.The general colour of the coarse coat is a reddish brown, with the lower legs darkening to black. There is a characteristic black dorsal band running along the spine from the head to the tail and fanning out over the hindquarters, averaging 5-7 cm / 2-3 inches in width. Young are born a uniform chocolate-brown colour, with their dark stripe becoming apparent at about four months of age. Adult coloration is reached at about one year. The dorsal surface of the tail is the same black coloration as the back, while the bushy underside is white. The head is tapered, with strong cheek muscles, large facial glands, and white lips and lower chin. The smooth, wedge-shaped horns are found in both sexes, and are nearly straight, angling back from the forehead in a parallel fashion. Relatively long compared to other duikers, the horns grow 5.5-10.5 cm / 2.2-4.2 inches long.
Ontogeny and Reproduction
Gestation Period: 8.5-9 months (?)
Young per Birth: 1, rarely 2
Weaning: By 5 months.
Sexual Maturity: Females at 9-12 months, males at 12-18 months.
Life span: 10-12 years.
Ecology and Behavior
The bay duiker is strictly nocturnal. Shelter is sought out during the day, and is most often found in hollow trees, among buttress roots, or in dense thickets. Regularly used paths provide a mose of movement through the forest, and are often through such thick vegetation that they resemble tunnels more than trails. Individuals have been seen stalking, killing, and eating small creatures (especially birds), but nevertheless plant material is the main dietary component. Population densities are very low, with 12-20 hectares of habitat providing residence for only 2-3 individuals.Family group: Solitary or in pairs.
Diet: Fruits, leaves, grasses, shoots, buds, insects, eggs, rarely carrion.
Main Predators: Leopard, small cats, civet, eagles, large owls, python, monitors, crocodile.
Distribution
Dense forest in western and central equatorial Africa.
Range Map (Redrawn from IAE, 1998)
Conservation Status
The bay duiker is a low risk, near threatened species as classified by the IUCN (1996).
Remarks
Ogilby's duiker is sometimes classified as a subspecies of bay duiker. Duiker ("DIKE-er") is Afrikaans for "diver", due to their habit of bounding into the undergrowth when alarmed. Kephale (Greek) the head; lophus (Greek) a crest, referring to the tuft on the head. Dorsum (Latin) the back; -alis (Latin) suffix meaning 'related to': a reference to the black stripe which runs down the spine.
Literature Cited
Boitani, L., and S. Bartoli. 1982. Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mammals. New York: Fireside/Simon & Schuster, Inc. Entry 389.Happold, D. C. D. 1987. The Mammals of Nigeria. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
IEA (Institute of Applied Ecology) 1998. Cephalophus dorsalis. In African Mammals Databank - A Databank for the Conservation and Management of the African Mammals Vol 1 and 2. Bruxelles: European Commission Directorate. Available online at http://gorilla.bio.uniroma1.it/amd/amd019b.html
Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. Academic Press, London and New York: NaturalWorld.
Walther, F. R. 1990. Duikers and Dwarf Antelopes. In Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Edited by S. P. Parker. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 325-343.
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder [editors]. 1993. Mammal Species of the World (Second Edition). Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. Available online at http://nmnhwww.si.edu/msw/
Additional Resources
Ansell, W. H. F. 1972. Part 15, Order Artiodactyla. In The Mammals of Africa: an identification manual. Edited by J. Meester and H. W. Setzer. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 1-84.Coe, M. J. 1975. Mammalian ecological studies on Mount Nimba, Liberia. Mammalia; 39: 523-581.
Conklin-Brittain, N. L., and E. S. Dierenfeld. 1996. Small Ruminants: Digestive capacity differences among four species weighing less than 20 Kg. Zoo Biology;.15(5): 481-490.
Dittrich, L. 1969. Birth weights and weight increases of African antelopes born at Hanover Zoo. International Zoo Yearbook 9: 118-120
Dubost, G. 1983. Le comportament de Cephalophus monticola Thumberg et C. dorsalis Gray et la place des céphalophes au sein des ruminants, Part I. Mammalia; 47(2): 141-177.
Dubost, G. 1983. Le comportament de Cephalophus monticola Thumberg et C. dorsalis Gray et la place des céphalophes au sein des ruminants, Part II. Mammalia; 47(3): 281-310.
Dubost, G. 1984. Comparison of the diets of frugivorous forest mammals of Gabon. Journal of Mammalogy; 65(2): 298-316.
Dubost, G., and F. Feer. 1992. Saisons de reproduction des petits ruminants dans le nord-est du Gabon, en fonction des variations des ressources alimentaires. Mammalia; 56(1): 25-43.
East R. [editor]. 1988. Antelope Global Survey and Regional Action plans, Part I: East and North East Africa. IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group.
East R. [editor]. 1989. Antelopes Global Survey and Regional Action Plans. Part 2: Southern and South-central Africa. IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group.
East R. [editor]. 1990. Antelopes Global Survey and Regional Action Plans. Part 3: West and Central Africa. IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group.
East R. [editor]. 1995. Antelope survey update. IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group: 1°.
East R. [editor]. 1996. Antelope survey update. IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group: 2°.
East, R. [compiler]. 1999. African Antelope Database 1998. IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN.
Feer, F. 1989. Comparative diet of Cephalophus callipygus and C. dorsalis, sympatric bovids of the African sempervirent forest. Mammalia; 53(4): 563-620.
Feer, F. 1995. Seed dispersal in African forest ruminants. Journal of Tropical Ecology; 11(4): 683-689.
Gautier-Hion, A., L. H. Emmons, and G. Dubost. 1980. A comparison of the diets of three major groups of primary consumers of Gabon (primates, squirrels and ruminants). Oecologia (Berlin) 45: 182-189.
Haltenorth, T., and H. Diller. 1980. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Africa, including Madagascar. London: Collins.
Happold, D. C. D. 1973. Large Mammals of West Africa. London: Longman Group, Ltd.
Heymans, J., and J. Lejoly. 1981. Sur la répartition des Cephalophinae en foret ombrophile. Revue de Zoologie Africaine; 95: 1-10.
Karesh, W. B., J. A. Hart, T. B. Hart, C. House, A. Torres, E. S. Dierenfeld, W. E. Braselton, H. Puche, and R. A. Cook. 1995. Health evaluation of five sympatric duiker species (Cephalophus spp.). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine; 26(4): 485-502.
Kudo, H., and M. Mitani. 1985. New record of predatory behavior by the mandrill Mandrillus sphinx in Cameroon. Primates 26(2): 161-167.
Pinger, C. 1993. The captive breeding and management of the black-backed duiker at the Memphis Zoo. In Proceedings of the 20th National Conference of the American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia, October 10-14, 1993. Edited by Susan D. Chan. Topeka, Kansas: American Association of Zoo Keepers. pp. 37-39.
Robinson, T. J., V. Wilson, D. S. Gallagher Jr, J. F. Taylor, S. K. Davis, W. R. Harrison, & F. F. B. Elder. 1996. Chromosomal evolution in duiker antelope (Cephalophinae: Bovidae): Karyotype comparisons, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and rampant X chromosome variation. Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics 73: 116-122.
Stuart, C., and T. Stuart. 1997. Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa. Struik Publishers.
Wilson, V. J. [compiler] 1987. Action plan for duiker conservation - IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group and Chipangali Wildlife Trust.
van Vuuren, B. J., and T. J. Robinson. 2001. Retrieval of four adaptive lineages in duiker antelope: Evidence from mitochondrial DNA sequences and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20(3): 409-425.
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