Duikers

Duikers have not been studied to any great extent in the wild because they live in dense rainforest habitats and are difficult to observe. They are, nonetheless, much sought after for their meat. The number of species of duikers increases with the size of the rainforests they inhabit.

The word duiker means divers or those that duck in Afrikaans. When duikers are alarmed they dive for cover into thickets. The front legs of duikers are shorter than the powerful hind legs. Duikers have a relatively big head, with a wide mouth, small ears, short backward-slanting horns, and a crest of erect hair on the forehead. Female duikers are on average a little larger than males and also possess horns.

Some species are active only during daylight hours (diurnal), some are active only at night (nocturnal), while others are active during both times of day. Duikers are browsers, that is, animals that eat the tender shoots, twigs, and leaves of bushy plants, rather than grazing on grass. Some species of duikers also eat buds, seeds, bark, and fruit, and even small rodents and birds. The moisture content of leaves is usually sufficient to satisfy their water needs during the rainy season, when duikers do not drink. Duikers are preyed upon by leopards, large predatory birds, and even baboons.