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Animal Info - Jentink's Duiker
(Other Names:
珍氏遁羚, カタシロダイカー, Céphalophe de Jentink, Duiquero de
Jentink, Jentinducker, Squirrel
Duiker)
Cephalophus jentinki
Contents
1. Profile (Picture)
2. Tidbits
3. Status and Trends (IUCN Status, Countries Where
Currently Found, Population Estimates, History of Distribution, Threats and Reasons
for Decline)
4. Data on Biology and Ecology (Weight, Habitat, Age to Maturity, Gestation
Period, Birth Season, Birth Rate, Early Development, Maximum Age, Diet, Behavior,
Social Organization, Density)
5. References
Profile
Pictures: Jentink's
Duiker #1 (Huffman 2004);
Jentink's Duiker #2
(26 Kb JPEG)
Jentink's duiker is a small forest antelope that weighs up to 70 kg (150 lb). It spends
much of the year in unpopulated interior hills covered with primary forest where it feeds
on forest fruits. However, during the rainy season, between May and October, forest trees
produce few fruits, and at this time Jentink's duiker leaves the forest and makes use of
forest edges, secondary growth, scrub and farms to feed. In addition to fruit it feeds on
shoots of shrubs and young trees, palm nuts, mangoes and cocoa pods. Jentink's duiker is nocturnal. During the day it hides in a hollow tree,
fallen tree trunk or the buttress bay of a kapok tree. Jentink's duiker is either solitary
or occurs in pairs. It is reported to be territorial,
with both members of a pair defending the territory.
Jentink's duiker was already considered rare in 1888. Since the 1960's it has been thought
to occur in Cote d'Ivoire (southwestern forests),
Liberia and Sierra
Leone. Within this region it is only found in the few remaining areas of undisturbed
forest. It is shy and secretive, and it may be
less rare than it was thought to be in the past.
Threats include loss of its forest habitat due to logging as well as hunting by loggers'
employees, commercial bushmeat hunters and native people.
Tidbits
*** A study conducted in Sierra Leone found
that most people are unaware of the rarity of Jentink's duiker, and even local hunters
claim not to realize that it is protected by law (Davies & Birkenhager 1990).
*** Jentink's duiker is so secretive that it continued to survive less than 30 km (20
mi) from Freetown, a city of half a million people, hiding on steep, densely forested
slopes in the city's water catchment area.
*** Jentink's duiker is occasionally found at the seashore, presumably seeking to
obtain salt.
*** When alarmed, duikers quickly seek protection by "diving" into dense
vegetation; thus the origin of their name, duiker, which means "diving
buck" in Afrikaans.
Status and Trends
- 1960's - 1994: Endangered
- 1996 - 2004: Vulnerable (Criteria: A1c, C1) (Population
Trend: Decreasing)
(IUCN
2004)
Countries Where Jentink's Duiker Is Currently Found:
2004: Occurs in Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra
Leone. (IUCN
2004)
Population Estimates:
[Note: Figures given are for wild populations only.]
History of Distribution:
Jentink's duiker was already considered rare in 1888, although it was reportedly common
in Sierra Leone at the turn of the century. Since the 1960's it has been thought to occur
in Cote d'Ivoire (southwestern forests), Liberia and Sierra
Leone. It is found only in the western part of the Upper Guinean forest block, which
stretches from eastern Sierra Leone through Liberia and southern Cote d'Ivoire into southwest Ghana. Within this region it is only found in the few
remaining areas of undisturbed forest. It is shy and secretive, and it may be
less rare than it was thought to be in the past (East
1990).
Distribution Map
(7 Kb GIF) (African Mammals
Databank 2004)
Threats and Reasons for Decline:
Threats include loss of its forest habitat due to logging as well as hunting by
loggers' employees, commercial bushmeat hunters and native people.
Data on Biology and Ecology
Jentink's duiker weighs up to 70 kg (150 lb).
Habitat:
Jentink's duiker spends much of the year in unpopulated interior hills covered in
evergreen rainforest. However, during the rainy season, between May and October, forest trees
produce few fruits, and at this time Jentink's duiker makes use of forest edges, secondary
growth, scrub and farms to feed. A diversity of fruiting trees and dense forest for
shelter appear to constitute basic habitat requirements.
Jentink's duiker is one of the species that live in both the Guinean
Forests of West Africa Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons.
Intl.) and the Guinean Moist Forests Global 200 Ecoregion. (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
Age to Maturity:
Females: 9 - 12 months; males: 12 - 18 months.
7.5 months.
Birth Season:
It has been reported that young are usually born between March and June,
and that young calves are usually seen between November and January (East
1990).
Birth Rate:
There is 1 young per birth.
Early Development:
A young Jentink's duiker is weaned by 5 months.
Maximum Age:
10 - 12 years.
Diet:
Jentink's duiker is mainly frugivorous, but
during the rainy season, between May and October, the forest produces few
fruits; therefore, Jentink's duiker comes out of the forest at night and feeds on shoots of shrubs and young trees. It is also
known to enter plantations to eat palm nuts, mangoes and cocoa pods. Hunters familiar with
the duiker's habits have identified many fruits with hard seeds or shells in
its diet, notably kola
nuts. (Kingdon 1997)
Behavior:
Jentink's duiker is nocturnal. During the day
it hides in a hollow tree, fallen tree trunk or the buttress bay of a kapok tree. If
discovered, it bolts from its hiding place with great speed, but it is not able to run
very far. At night it travels out of the forest, especially during periods when forest
fruits are scarce.
Social Organization:
Jentink's duiker is either solitary or occurs in pairs. It is reported to be territorial, with both members of a pair defending
the territory.
Density and Range:
It appears to occur at relatively low densities (perhaps about 1
individual/sq km (about 3 individual/sq mi)) even under favorable habitat
conditions (East
1990).
References
African Mammals Databank
2004,
Burton & Pearson 1987, Cons.
Intl., Curry-Lindahl 1972, Davies & Birkenhager 1990, East
1990, Huffman 1999c, Huffman
2004, IUCN 1969, IUCN
1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN
2000, IUCN 2003a,
IUCN 2004,
Kingdon 1997, Macdonald 1984, Nowak
& Paradiso 1983, Olson &
Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein
1999, Stuart & Stuart 1996
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