The blue duiker (Philantomba monticola ) is a small antelope found in central, southern and eastern Africa. It is the smallest duiker. The species was first described by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg in 1789. 12 subspecies are identified. The blue duiker reaches 32–41 centimetres (13–16 in) at the shoulder and weighs 3.5–9 kilograms (7.7–19.8 lb). Sexually dimorphic, the females are slightly larger than the males. The dark tail measures slightly above 10 centimetres (3.9 in). It has short, spiky horns, around 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long and hidden in hair tufts. The subspecies show a great degree of variation in their colouration. The blue duiker bears a significant resemblance to Maxwell's duiker.
Activity is diurnal (limited to daytime). Secretive and cautious, the blue duiker confines itself to the forest fringes. Territorial, individuals of opposite sexes form pairs and occupy territories, nearly 0.4–0.8 hectares (0.0015–0.0031 sq mi) large and marked by preorbital gland secretions. The blue duiker feeds on fallen fruits, foliage, flowers and pieces of bark, provided mainly by the forest canopies in their habitat. The age when sexual maturity is gained has been given differently by different studies. The species is monogamous, with pairs remaining together throughout the year. The length of the gestational period has been estimated from as little as four months to as long as seven months. Births occur throughout the year, though the birth rate might fall in the dry season. The calf is mainly kept in hiding and weaning occurs at 2.5 to 3 months.
The habitat consists of a variety of forests, including old-growth, secondary, and gallery forests. Forests are preferred as these provide the animal with shelter through the dense understory and forage through the canopy. Though categorized as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the blue duiker is under threat from extensive bushmeat hunting across its range.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Blue duiker is a small antelope found in Africa. It has a flat forehead, large eyes, small ears with a line of white, large nostrils, a broad mouth, and agile lips. The tail is dark and has a remarkable feature - the row of white crinkly hairs on either flank that reflect light efficiently so that when the animal moves its tail up and down, it looks like a luminous signal in the dark habitat. The duiker has short, spiky horns that are hidden in hair tufts. A row of minute pores surrounded by a few hairs in the preorbital glands (near the eyes) secrete an opaque liquid consisting of 45 volatile compounds. The pedal glands (near the hooves) produce a pungent, whitish fluid. Blue duikers vary greatly in coloration; their coat can be a shade of blue, grey or brown, and even black. The females of this species are slightly larger than the males.
Blue duikers are found in several countries in the western, southern, and eastern parts of Africa. They live in a variety of forests, including old-growth, secondary, and gallery forests. Forests are preferred as these provide duikers with shelter through the dense understory and forage through the canopy. They can also be found in pockets of degraded and regenerated forests.
Blue duikers are diurnal secretive and cautious animals. They live in pairs and occupy territories, nearly 0.4-0.8 hectares (0.0015-0.0031 sq mi) large and mark them by preorbital gland secretions. They rub the preorbital glands on trees and logs to mark their territory with the fluid produced by the glands. Blue duikers communicate with each other visually, vocally, and by smell. They can let out yowls typical of cats if distressed or bird-like chirps to show curiosity. The female may even let out a whistling call when trying to avoid the male's advances.
Blue duikers are herbivores (folivores, frugivores). Their diet consists of fallen fruits, foliage, flowers, and pieces of bark, provided mainly by the forest canopies in their habitat. Fungi, resin, and animal matter such as ants (which are licked from the ground) may also be included in the diet.
Blue duikers are monogamous and pair for life. They breed throughout the year. After the gestation period of 7-7.5 months, the female gives birth to a single calf. The calf can start moving about on its own within 20 minutes of birth, and is nursed by his mother three times a day. It is kept in hiding for most of the time. The nursing intervals become irregular towards weaning, which occurs at 2.5 to 3 months. Males visit their mates occasionally, though they disappear for about a month after the calf's birth to probably protect the calf. The females become mature at 8-13 months, while males take longer to mature, nearly 11 to 14 months.
Blue duikers are threatened by extensive bushmeat hunting as their meat is an important source of nutrition in its range. It is even claimed that the Blue duiker has the greatest economic as well as ecological significance of any ungulate in Africa.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Blue duiker is 7,000,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...