Black Duiker
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| Cephalophus niger Gray, 1846 |
Black Duiker (Cephalophus niger also known as Tuba in Dyula) is a forest dwelling Duiker found in the southern parts of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin and Nigeria.
Black Duikers stand around 500 mm tall at the shoulder and weigh 15 to 20 kg. Black Duikers have a not surprisingly, black coat. The head is a rust colour and there is a large red crest between the ears. Black Duikers have long thin horns of 80 to possibly 170 mm, but the horns of females reach only 30 mm.
Black Duiker live mainly in lowland rainforest, where they eat fruit, flowers and leaves, which have fallen from the canopy. Black Duiker are probably diurnal, though this is surmised only from captive specimens. Black Duiker are reported to be solitary, territorial animals.
There are estimated to be around 100,000 Black Duikers in the world. They are threatened by hunting, and are considered to be in decline across their range.
[edit] References
- Antelope Specialist Group (1996). Cephalophus niger. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.
