[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Mammal Profile
Red Duiker
Based on Chris and Mathilde Stuart’s book, “Game Animals of the World,” published by African Hunting Gazette, here’s everything hunters need to know about the Red Duiker
English: Red Duiker
Latin: Ephalophus natalensis and C. harveyi / C. callipygus and C. weynsi
German: Rotducker
French: Céphalophe du Natal /Céphalophe de Harvey
Spanish: Duiqueros rojos
Measurements
Total length: 80 cm – 1.2 m (2.6‘– 3.9‘)
Tail: 9 – 16 cm (3.5” – 6.3”)
Shoulder Height: 45 – 60 cm (1.5‘– 2.0‘)
Weight: 10 – 24 kg (22 – 53 lb)
Description
Red and Harvey’s duikers are very similar, having a rich, reddish-brown coat, with the underparts being slightly paler. Chin and throat are paler than the rest of body. The tail is short, and towards the base is the same color as the rest of the body, but towards the tip has mixed black and white hairs. There is a well-developed crest of hair on the top of the head, sometimes obscuring the short horns. Both sexes carry horns which slope backwards at the same angle as the face. Two very similar species – Peters’s and Weyns’s duikers – have “red duiker” coloring, except the rump is usually richer reddish, with western animals paler. Peters’s has a darker stripe down the back, usually absent in Weyns’s.
Distribution
The red extends from north-eastern South Africa, along the Mozambique coastal plain and into southern Tanzania, thence northwards into Kenya. Both are huntable in Tanzania, the red in South Africa and Mozambique. Peters’s and Weyns’s occur across the Congolean forest belt, but the exact range split unknown. One, or both, are huntable in Cameroon and C.A.R.
Conservation standing
All are heavily hunted as bushmeat, but in many areas all four species occur in substantial numbers. Red probably>40 000; Harvey’s >20 000; Peters’s and Weyns’s together may be >500 000. The last two species probably benefit from dense thicket growth resulting from forest clearing.
Habitats
Red and Harvey’s are forest types and associated thickets and dense woodland. Peters’s and Weyns’s occur in equatorial lowland forests, with Weyns’s extending into montane forests in the east.
Behavior
Very little is known about either Peters’s and Weyns’s, but probably similar to the other two species, and even these are poorly known. Usually single animals are sighted, but it is probable that a pair may live in loose association within the same home range and territory. Small dung pellet heaps are deposited in a limited area, or midden, and serve as territory markers, as do secretions from the gland in front of the eye. Probably all four species are mainly day active.
Breeding
Mating season: Throughout the year, but peaks
Gestation: 210 days
Number of young: 1
Birth weight: 980 g (35 oz) (red duiker only)
Sexual maturity: 18 – 24 months
Longevity: One captive 6 years 3 months (red duiker)
Food
Browse, including leaves, flowers, fruits, and commonly feed on discards from monkeys below trees.
Rifles and Ammunition
Suggested Caliber: .224 – .243. Bullet: Expanding bullet.
Sights: Low-range variable scope.
Hunting Conditions: Medium-range shots in open forest.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”17875,17876″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
