The common duiker (''Sylvicapra grimmia''), also known as the grey or bush duiker, is a small
antelope
The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia.
Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mamm ...
and the
only member of the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
''Sylvicapra''. This species is found everywhere in Africa south of the
Sahara
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, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
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, excluding the Horn of Africa and the rainforests of the central and western parts of the continent. Generally, they are found in habitats with sufficient vegetation cover to allow them to hide—
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
and hilly areas, including the fringes of human settlements.
Description
Colouration of this species varies widely over its vast geographic range. There are 14
subspecies described,
ranging from chestnut in forested areas of
Angola
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to grizzled gray in northern savannas and light brown shades in arid regions. It grows to about in height and generally weighs ; although females are generally larger and heavier than the males. Only the male has horns and these can grow to long.
Behavior
Breeding is year round and the female gives birth to one fawn after a
gestation period
In mammals, pregnancy is the period of reproduction during which a female carries one or more live offspring from implantation in the uterus through gestation. It begins when a fertilized zygote implants in the female's uterus, and ends once ...
of 6 to 7.5 months. The common duiker has a wide diet; beyond browsing for leaves, flowers, fruits and tubers, they will also eat insects, frogs, small birds and mammals, and even