The Aders's duiker (''Cephalophus adersi''), also known as ''nunga'' in Swahili, ''kunga marara'' in Kipokomo and ''harake'' in Giriama, is a small, forest-dwelling

duiker A duiker is a small to medium-sized brown antelope native to sub-Saharan Africa, found in heavily wooded areas. The 22 extant species, including three sometimes considered to be subspecies of the other species, form the subfamily Cephalophinae ...

found only in

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

and

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. It may be a subspecies of the red,

Harvey's Harvey's is a fast food restaurant chain operating in Canada, with locations in every province except British Columbia. It serves hamburgers, poutine, hot dogs, french fries, onion rings, and other traditional Canadian fast-food fare. The ch ...

, or Peters's duiker or a hybrid of a combination of these. It is named after W. Mansfield Aders, a zoologist with the Zanzibar Government Service.

Characteristics

The Aders's duiker stands at around tall at the shoulder. Its weight varies greatly depending on geographical location; those in eastern Zanzibar weigh , while those in the south weigh only . Its coat is reddish-brown, grayer on the neck, and lighter down the backside and underneath. A small red crest runs along the head. It also has small, simple horns of . The muzzle is pointed, and the nose has a flat front. The ears measure long, with a marked cowlick or whorl of hair on the nape of the neck.

Distribution and habitat

Aders's duikers live primarily in coastal forests and woodlands in Africa. The species can live in quite dry scrub near the sea or among coral outcrops; in Zanzibar, they are restricted to tall thicket forest growing on waterless coral rag. In Arabuko Sokoke (Kenya), they are most often trapped within '' Cynometra'' vegetation, especially on "red soil". ''C. adersi'' is sympatric with ''C. harveyi'' on the mainland and with ''C. monticola sundevalli'' on Zanzibar, although nothing is known regarding their ecological separation.

Ecology and behavior

The species is very shy, alert, and sensitive to sound. As a result, common methods of hunting include the brute-force method of driving the duikers into nets with dogs, or silent ambush at feeding sites. Aders's duikers live in coastal

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

thicket A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large numbers of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in t ...

s and

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

s, where they eat

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

, and

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

which has fallen from the forest canopy. The species appears to be diurnal, as it is rarely seen active at night. Typical feeding patterns are from dawn to late morning, which is followed by a period of rest and rumination. At midafternoon, Aders's duikers generally become active, and will continue foraging until nightfall. They are generally solitary or found in small groups of two or three. They often pick up scraps dropped by monkeys and birds foraging in the trees. The species shows a particular dependence on the flowers and berries which grow prolifically from trees common to the area, such as ebony ('' Diospyros consolataei''), kudu berry (''

Cassine aethiopica Cassine may refer to: * Cassine, Piedmont Cassine (Piedmontese: ''Cassèine'') is a town and ''commune'' of the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont. It is located southwest of the town of Alessandria on the left of the lower c ...

'') and bush guarri (''

Euclea ''Euclea'', from the Greek '' eukleia'' meaning "glory and fame", denotes a group of flowering plants in the Ebenaceae or ebony family. They were described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1774. The genus includes evergreen trees and shrubs, native to ...

schimperi''), and bushes such as turkey berry ('' Canthium'' spp.) and '' Polyspheria''. In addition to these, they will eat sprouts, buds, and other fresh growth found at ground level. This duiker species can apparently manage without drinking, getting most of the hydration they need from their diets. These duikers have extremely specific habitat requirements, being found only in areas of old-growth thicket, with the highest population densities (11.4±5.18 per km²) recorded in relatively undisturbed high thicket. However, Kanga (1999) did report some Aders's duikers in secondary thicket. In the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest in Kenya, Aders's duikers inhabit regions of '' Cyanometra'' forest. Not much is known of its reproductive habits, although they may breed all year long.

Conservation

They are threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, feral dogs, and overhunting. They are particularly sought by humans due to their soft skin and meat. The population in

had declined from 5000 in 1983 to 640 in 1999, and it will probably continue to decrease rapidly. In

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, the duiker is present at very low densities, though the decline is probably not as severe as the other population. Several conservation plans have been made, and a captive-breeding program has been proposed.

References

External links

Aders’s duiker at ARKive

{{Taxonbar, from=Q925139 Aders's duiker Zanzibar Mammals of Kenya Aders's duiker Aders's duiker