Red-flanked Duiker (Cephalophorus rufilatus) lives in tropical rainforest across Sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds on leaves and fruits. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Red-flanked Duiker
- Human hunters remove far more red-flanked duikers than the animal's natural predators do, creating the greatest source of mortality for the species. Leopards, crowned eagles and African rock pythons also prey on them, but human killing outweighs these losses. This intense hunting pressure is a key reason why overall numbers are falling despite the duiker's adaptability. The species is still fairly common in many areas, yet its population trend is negative.
- Male red-flanked duikers grow short, backward-pointing horns that can reach up to 9 cm in length, while females are usually without horns or bear only very short ones. Apart from this difference, males and females look much the same, sharing the same russet-brown and grey colouration. The horns are modest compared with larger antelopes, reflecting the duiker's small size and its reliance on quick escape rather than combat.
- Both male and female red-flanked duikers possess unusually large preorbital scent glands on the snout, forming noticeable bulges on their cheeks. These glands are larger than those of any other Cephalophus species and are used to mark their small territories with secretions. Territorial marking occurs when the duiker rubs its cheek bulges against vegetation, leaving a scent that signals ownership to neighbours.
- Red-flanked duikers eat fallen fruits such as Cape fig, African peach and wild date, swallowing the seeds along with the pulp. The seeds survive passage through the animal's digestive tract and are expelled in the droppings, where they can germinate. By moving through the forest while browsing on leaves, flowers and low twigs, the duiker spreads these seeds over a wide area, helping the regeneration of the very trees it feeds on.
- In the Republic of Guinea the red-flanked duiker ranks among the four most commonly sold bushmeat species, sharing the market with Maxwell's duiker, the greater cane rat and the bushbuck. This high demand contributes to a broader decline, as the species' numbers are falling across its range. The reduction is driven primarily by intense hunting pressure, which outweighs losses from natural predators.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSub-Saharan Africa
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietLeaves and fruits
About the Red-flanked Duiker
In the dappled shadows of the African forest, the red-flanked duiker weaves a stealthy path, its large eyes watchful and alert as it navigates the underbrush with an air of quiet confidence. With each delicate step, the duiker's slender legs seem to barely touch the earth, as if it is floating across the forest floor, its reddish-brown coat blending seamlessly into the surroundings. As it moves, the duiker's very presence seems to embody the essence of the forest, a fleeting glimpse of wild beauty that vanishes as suddenly as it appears.
Hear the Red-flanked Duiker, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
