The horns serve several purposes, such as defense against enemies and combat with others of their own kind. They feed on grass and leaves, at times scrambling upon logs or climbing vine-entangled shrubs to obtain choice leaves and fruit. Duikers also have been observed to eat insects and carrion. According to Farst et al. Duikers are not gregarious and usually move about alone or in pairs.
Individuals are highly intolerant of others of the same sex, and fights are frequent.
A female can give birth each year, the gestation period is 120 days, and there is a single offspring. It weighs 710-954 grams at birth, resembles the adults in color pattern, nibbles leaves after 14 days, and is completely weaned at 2 months. Duikers are hunted for food by native people but generally are not sought by sportsmen, because their head does not make a showy trophy. C. zebra, found in the same region, is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN , as are C. adersi and C. spadix. The Johns Hopkins University Press.