Specie Name :                         COMMON DUIKER

Scientific Name :           Sylvicapra grimmia

Description :
                                Grey or brownish grey.
                                        Reddish brown forehead with tuft of hair between horns.
                                        Black blaze on nose up to forehead.
                                        Dark gland ducts in front of eyes.
                                        Black on front of lower legs.
                                        Hindquarters higher than front.
                                        Ears smaller and more pointed than steenbok.

Horns:
                                Males only, but not unknown in females.

Mass:
                                12 - 20 kg. Females heavier than males.

Habitat :
                                Thickets, undergrowth, shrub veld and riverine bush.
                                          Avoid open plains and hilly country.

Behavior :
                              Usually single, sometimes in pairs.
                                        Territorial.
                                        Browser, partial to gardens and fields, Independent of water.
                                        Nocturnal where disturbed, but sometimes seen in early morning or late afternoon.
                                        Keeps to deep thickets during hot part of day.

Hunt Method :
                              Hunt in late afternoon, walking into the wind.
                                        Proceed very slowly, halting often, and look thoroughly in shadows under bushes and in                              
                                        clearings on the edges of thickets.
                                        They stay in cover till the last moment and then trot off or dart away to the next cover with a                              
                                        series of zigzag, diving runs.