By Krista Milich
Geographic Range
The Black Duiker ranges from Guinea to Southwestern Nigeria. This area includes the following countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Habitat
C. niger is a terrestrial animal that is found in several different areas of the forest. It lives in areas of the rainforest and in in other forests. It can be found on the edges of these forests, in bushes and thickets. It can also be found in shrublands and degraded forests. (Walther, 1990).
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
tropical 
.
Terrestrial Biomes:
forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest .
Physical Description
(33 to 44 lbs; avg. 38.5 lbs)
(31.5 to 35.43 in)
Black Duikers are heavily built: short, stocky legs; long body; long head. They are dark brown to black in color. The bridge of their nose and other parts of their head are more reddish in color. They have bare nasal speculums and pointed hooves. Both sexes have horns. The male's are between 7.5 and 17.5 cm. The female's horns are between 2.5 and 3 cm. The body is between 80 and 90 cm long. The tail is between 12 and 14 cm long. The underside of the tail is white. The shoulder height is 45 to 50 cm. And they weigh between 15 and 20 kg.
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
There does not seem to be a restricted breeding season in C. niger. Females reach sexual maturity between ages 9 and 12 months. Males reach sexual maturity between ages 12 and 18 months. Gestation lasts about 7 months. Only 1 offspring is born per birth; and the offspring weighs about 1 kg. Weaning lasts no longer than 5 months.
Key reproductive features:
year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (internal ).
Lifespan/Longevity
The lifespan of C. niger is between 10 and 12 years.
Behavior
Cephalophus niger lives alone or in pairs. It is a sedentary and territorial animal. Some believe that it is diurnal (Kingdon, 1997), while others believe that it is nocturnal and crepuscular (Walther, 1990). Its territory is generally about 0.1 hectares.
Key behaviors:
nocturnal ; motile ; solitary ; territorial .
Food Habits
Black Duikers eat a wide variety of foods. Fruits and foliage are the most common, however, their diet also includes everything from insects to eggs. It is possible that they occasionally eat birds, also.
Foods eaten include: flowers, leaves, buds, young shoots, grasses, herbs, berries, fruits, termites, ants, snails and eggs.
Animal Foods:
birds; eggs; insects; mollusks.
Plant Foods:
leaves; fruit.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Humans use the Black Duiker for its meat and its skin.
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
food ; body parts are source of valuable material.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Lower Risk - Near Threatened.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
C. niger is one of the most common duikers in Africa. Still, it suffers from overhunting. It is considered to be rare and endangered in Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria (Kingdon, 1997). However, the IUCN has it ranked as a lower risk species, that is, near threatened. Many are killed each year for meat and skins. Stricter rules on the bushmeat trade would help the status of this mammal.
For More Information
Find Cephalophus niger information at
Contributors
Krista Milich (author), University of Michigan.
Bret Weinstein (editor), University of Michigan.
