The yellow-backed duiker (Cephalophus silvicultor ) is a forest dwelling antelope in the order Artiodactyla from the family Bovidae. Yellow-backed duikers are the most widely distributed of all duikers. They are found mainly in Central and Western Africa, ranging from Senegal to Western Uganda with possibly a few in Gambia. Their range also extends southward into Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, and most of Zambia.
No
NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
Di
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 ...
He
HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
Fr
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...
Fo
FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Cu
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...
Br
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...
Zo
ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
Te
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'...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Ge
Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
So
SolitaryA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
No
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.
Y
starts withYellow-backed duikers are forest-dwelling antelopes. They are the most widely distributed of all duikers. These animals have a convex body shape, standing taller at the rump than the shoulders. They have very short horns, which are cylindrical and ribbed at the base. An orange crest of hair can be found between their horns. Yellow-backed duikers get their name from the characteristic patch of yellow hairs on their rump, which stand when the duiker is alarmed or feels threatened. Females in this species are often slightly larger than males.
Yellow-backed duikers are found mainly in Central and Western Africa, ranging from Senegal to Western Uganda. Their range also extends southward into Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, and most of Zambia. These animals live in semi-deciduous forests, rain forests, riparian forests, and montane forests. However, they can be found in open bush, isolated forest islands, and clearings on the savanna as well.
Yellow-backed duikers are active at all times of the day and night. They live mainly solitarily or in couples. They usually rest during the midday near fallen trees, in dense vegetation, or between buttress roots. Yellow-backed duikers communicate with each other through scents secreted from their glands, grunts and shrill bleats. When feeling danger, they emit a shrill whistle, erect their dorsal crest, and flee. Duikers are very flighty and easily stressed, and when frightened or pursued will run almost blindly from a threat. Their convex body shape is well-suited for forest living. It allows for quick movement through thick forest and bush and is reflective of ungulates accustomed to diving quickly into the underbrush for cover. In fact, duiker is the Afrikaans word for "diver."
Yellow-backed duikers are herbivorous (frugivorous, folivorous) animals. They feed selectively on plants or plant parts such as shoots, roots, leaves, and buds, but their diet is mainly made up of fruits.
Little information is known about the mating system in this species. Yellow-backed duikers can breed throughout the year, with many breeding two times each year. Females give birth to 1 or sometimes 2 calves after a gestation period of 4-7 months. The calf remains hidden during the first week of life and is weaned at 3 to 5 months after birth. Males reach reproductive maturity at 12-18 months of age while females become reproductively mature when they are 9-12 months old.
Uncontrolled hunting for meat is the main threat to Yellow-backed duikers. They are the most heavily hunted species across forested West and Central Africa. These animals are not only a vital food source for people living close to their habitats but a vital source of income as well. Yellow-backed duikers also suffer from human encroachment on their forest habitats.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Yellow-backed duikers is 160,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Due to their diet Yellow-backed duikers act as important seed-dispersing agents for various plants. They are also prey items for many carnivores.
