Because of their morphology, social behavior, and diet, duikers have been interpreted as models of primitive bovid ancestors, despite the fact that there is no fossil record supporting duiker ancestry. Key physical traits, however, may link duikers to neotragine antelopes. Research on duikers in captivity has also demonstrated that all duikers share similar behaviors in reproduction, locomotion and excretion, while additionally demonstrating differences from other bovids, perhaps related to differing life conditions. The presence of these specialized characteristics has been argued as further evidence that the genus Cephalophus does not represent an analog for primitive, bovid ancestors.
Red-flanked duikers have acute senses of hearing and smell, which are superior to those of humans and can make observations of red-flanked duikers challenging. They emit a shrill bark to communicate with their young and when threatened. Red-flanked duikers are also sensitive to territorial scent marking by other members of the species.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: pheromones ; scent marks
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Currently (April 2006) C. rufilatus is listed as lower risk by the IUCN. Hunting for bush meat and deforestation pose the greatest threat to wild populations of red-flanked duikers. To date, there have been no conservation projects aimed at protecting populations of this species in the wild.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
There are no known adverse effects of red-flanked duikers on humans, though they may occasionally browse on farmland.
Red-flanked duikers are hunted for their meat, pelts and for sport. The predictability of their flight behavior (see Behavior section) has led them to be exploited by hunters who snare them in nets placed in shrubs and tall grass.
Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material
Red-flanked duikers feed heavily on the fruit bearing species Phoenix reclinata, Nauclea latifolia, and Ficus capensis. It is likely that they are important seed dispersers of these plant species.
Species in the genus Cephalophus are also hosts to several parasite species. The blood parasite Anaplasma marginale is commonly carried by red-flanked duikers. Ticks such as Rhipicephalus decoloratus and Amblyomma variegatum, are also carried by members of the genus Cephalophus. Interestingly, one study of tick reproduction found that ticks extracted from red-flanked duikers produce more eggs than those extracted from cattle in the same region.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Red-flanked duikers are herbivorous and have been described as browsers. They feed primarily within a meter of the ground and do not spend considerable time in any area. Their diet consists mainly of leaves and fruits, but also includes flowers and twigs. One study of the stomach contents of C. rufilatus indicated a preference for feeding on fruits in secondary forest patches of the moist savanna.
Red-flanked duikers feed on the following plant species: Phoenix reclinata, Nauclea latifolia, Ficus capensis, Iliostigma thonningii, Mucuna flagellipes, Spondias mombin, Pterocarpus erinaceous, Bridelia micrantha, Vitex domiana, Annoa senegalensis, Phyllanthus muellerianus, Cola milleni, Fiscus capensis, Blighia sapida, and Gmellina aborea.
Plant Foods: leaves; fruit; flowers
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Frugivore )
Cephalophus rufilatus, or red-flanked duikers, are found throughout central, western Africa. While members of the genus Cephalophus are common throughout most African forests, red-flanked duikers are one of only a few duiker species which have distributions outside African equatorial rain forests.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Red-flanked duikers thrive along the transition zones of savanna-forests and along drainage lines. These habitats are characterized by tall grass (primarily elephant grass, Pennisetum purpureum) and shrubs, (Capparis, Acanthus arboreus and others) and provide ample grazing opportunities and suitable cover from predators.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; rainforest
The average lifespan of red-flanked duikers in the wild is five years and is most likely limited by predation. Red-flanked duikers have lived to be over 15 years old in captivity.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 10 (high) years.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 15 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 5 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 10 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 15.2 years.
Red-flanked duikers have an orange-red coat which is lighter on the ventral side. They have a dark grey-black stripe along their dorsal midline, which extends from the tail to the shoulders and continues across the face onto the muzzle. The lower legs are also dark grey-black in color and give the animal the appearance of wearing stockings.
Full grown males possess short black horns which project straight back from the forehead. Though usually absent, horns may also be present in females. If present, they are shorter on average than in males. In males horn length varies from 6 to 9.5 cm and from 3 to 4 cm in females.
Cephalophus species, in general, are unique in that they possess preorbital glands that differ in their anatomy from other African antelope. These glands are located beyond the eyes on the snout (unlike other antelope) and form visible bulges in the cheeks. Red-flanked duikers have the largest preorbital glands of all duiker species.
Range mass: 6 to 14 kg.
Range length: 60 to 80 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger; ornamentation
Red-flanked duikers are preyed on by leopards (Panthera pardus), eagles (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus), pythons (Python reticulatus) and humans. Among all of their predators, humans take the greatest number. Red-flanked duikers rely heavily on early detection of threats and have highly sensitive hearing. They dive into dense undergrowth when threats are detected.
Known Predators:
Mating behaviors of red-flanked duikers is not described in detail in the literature. Mating behaviors of species in the genus Cephalophus, however, are relatively homogenous. Courtship is characterized by following, biting, and licking of the female's genitalia by the male from a few days prior to estrus (which lasts a day), and until copulation. During estrus, female duiker squat unusually low while urinating. When urine-testing for pheromones, female urine elicits a response in which males wrinkle their upper lips in a distinctive grimace. Female duikers demonstrate sexual receptivity by swelling and reddening of the vulva.
Among captive male duikers, competition for mates takes the form of charging, aggressive chasing, head butting, and biting. Male competitive aggression in the wild has not been observed perhaps because individual home ranges are typically widely separated.
Mating System: monogamous
Red-flanked duiker births have been observed in the dry season and the early wet season. Red-flanked duikers typically give birth to a single young. Gestation lasts between 223 and 245 days. Birth weights average around 1000 g.
Newborn red-flanked duikers independently seek cover amid vegetation, exposing themselves only when nursing. Female red-flanked duikers mark their young with secretions from their preorbital glands directly after birth and when grooming.
Breeding interval: Females may give birth up to once per year.
Range number of offspring: 1 (low) .
Average number of offspring: 1.
Range gestation period: 7.43 to 8.17 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 9 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 9 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Average birth mass: 943 g.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 270 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 270 days.
Post-gestation parental investment in the genus Cephalophus is relatively low. Outside of nursing, red-flanked duikers occasionally groom their young and nurse them. They otherwise leave the young under cover of vegetation. They are weaned and feed independently at a weight of approximately 9 kg.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female)
The red-flanked duiker (Cephalophus rufilatus) is a species of small antelope found in western and central Africa in countries as far apart as Senegal and Sudan.[2] Red-flanked duikers grow to almost 15 in (35 cm) in height and weigh up to 31 lb (14 kg). They have russet coats, with greyish-black legs and backs, and white underbellies. They feed on leaves, fallen fruits, seeds and flowers, and sometimes twigs and shoots. The adults are territorial, living in savannah and lightly wooded habitats, and the females usually produce a single offspring each year. They have lifespans of ten to fifteen years in captivity.
The red-flanked duiker is one of the smallest species of antelope, growing to a height of about 34 to 37 centimetres (13 to 15 in) with a weight of around 12 to 14 kilograms (26 to 31 lb). The head and body are blackish-grey near the spine gradually blending into a reddish-brown colour on the neck and flanks. There are small white markings on the ears and snout and a dark streak runs along the centre of the face. A tuft of black hairs grows between the horns and further coarse dark hairs grow along the top of the neck. The legs are bluish-grey.[3] The sexes are in general similar in appearance but males have short backward-pointing horns up to 9 centimetres (3.5 in) long. Females are often hornless, or may have shorter horns. Both males and females have large preorbital glands on their snout in front of their eyes which form bulges in their cheeks. These are common to all members of the genus Cephalophus but they are larger in the red-flanked duiker than in other species.[4]
The red-flanked duiker is native to West and Central Africa where its range extends from Senegal and the Gambia in the west to Sudan and the Nile Valley in the east. Its main habitat is open savannah woodlands[1] and the margins of forests but it also occurs in river basins with elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) or thick shrubby vegetation such as caperbushes (Capparis spp.) and tree acanthus (Acanthus arboreus).[4]
Red-flanked duikers are territorial and mainly solitary, with a single antelope or a pair occupying a small territory for a few months and then moving elsewhere. The territory is marked with secretions from their preorbital glands.[4] The duikers are most active in the early morning and shortly before dusk. They move about while browsing and keep a sharp lookout for possible predators; if startled, they lower their heads and dive into the nearest dense area of vegetation. They are hunted by a number of predators including leopards (Panthera pardus), crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) and African rock pythons (Python sebae) but are also hunted by man, who probably kills more duikers than the other predators combined.[4]
The red-flanked duiker feeds on leaves and flowers and the fruits that fall from trees, and also browses on twigs growing within one metre (yard) of the ground. Favoured food species include the wild date palm (Phoenix reclinata), the African peach (Nauclea latifolia), the Cape fig (Ficus capensis), the wild bauhinia (Piliostigma thonningii), the adanme (Mucuna flagellipes), the hog plum (Spondias mombin), the barwood (Pterocarpus erinaceus), the mitzeeri (Bridelia micrantha), the wild African black plum (Vitex doniana), the African custard-apple (Annona senegalensis), the leafflower (Phyllanthus muellerianus), the monkey cola (Cola millenii), the ackee (Blighia sapida) and the beechwood (Gmelina arborea). As the red-flanked duiker eats the fruit of the Cape fig, African peach and wild date, it swallows the seeds. These pass through the gut and are present in the droppings and this is likely to be an important means of seed dispersal for these species.[4]
Both male and female red-flanked duikers mature at about nine months of age. The female comes into oestrus once a year and the gestation period is about eight months, with a single offspring being born in the dry season or near the start of the wet season. The newly-born juvenile weighs about 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) and quickly makes its way into concealing vegetation, only coming out when its mother returns to nurse it. Immediately after birth and when grooming its infant, the mother marks it with the secretions from her preorbital glands. It is weaned when it weighs about 9 kilograms (20 lb) and there is no further parental involvement.[4]
The red-flanked duiker is an adaptable species, and the removal of trees by logging and the conversion of its natural habitat into more open savannah and farmland has allowed it to increase its range. It is fairly common in the areas in which it is found though numbers are decreasing in general due to severe hunting pressure.[1] The red-flanked duiker was one of the four most frequent species of bushmeat on sale in the Republic of Guinea, along with Maxwell's duiker (Cephalophus maxwelli), the greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) and the bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus).[5] However it occurs in a number of reserves and protected areas where it is less liable to be killed for meat and the International Union for Conservation of Nature in its Red List of Threatened Species lists it as being of "Least Concern".[1]
The red-flanked duiker (Cephalophus rufilatus) is a species of small antelope found in western and central Africa in countries as far apart as Senegal and Sudan. Red-flanked duikers grow to almost 15 in (35 cm) in height and weigh up to 31 lb (14 kg). They have russet coats, with greyish-black legs and backs, and white underbellies. They feed on leaves, fallen fruits, seeds and flowers, and sometimes twigs and shoots. The adults are territorial, living in savannah and lightly wooded habitats, and the females usually produce a single offspring each year. They have lifespans of ten to fifteen years in captivity.
