Kloof Conservancy BioGuide - Blue Duiker
Size 35cm to shoulder
Mass 4,7kg Female 4kg Males
Conservation Status Scheduled as
The Blue Duiker is the smallest of all antelopes in Central and Southern Africa.
It is uniformly blue-grey in colour with a slightly paler shade on the underside. The tail has a splash of white which is noticeable when they flick the tails.
Both sexes have very short sometimes only 2cm, sharp and straight horns – in some females the horns are barely visible.
They have a distinctive angular glandular slit beneath both eyes.
The blue duiker is monogamous, with pairs appearing to mate for life and living in a small territory, which is defended against other blue duikers and regularly scent-marked.
They are most active at dawn and dusk but have been observed by camera traps to move occasionally at night. They are very often seen in pairs.
They are primarily herbivores eating leaves, flowers and fallen berries but are known to opportunistically eat birds eggs and insects.
They are non-seasonal breeders, with a gestation period of about 210 days. Single fawns are born, weighing 400 grams.
Young are hidden for the first few weeks after birth, and later driven from the parent's territory when sexually matured at about 388 days.
Widely distributed from the Eastern Cape to West Africa. They are quite common in the Highway area and Kloof because of the dense riverine forests.
They live in forest or dense bush (either coastal or inland forests) in the high-rainfall regions of KwaZulu-Natal, up to an altitude of 1370 m. They occur in the bioclimatic regions Coast lowlands (south of St Lucia), Coast hinterland, and Mistbelt.
Although they can survive in very small territories they are threatened by habitat loss or habitat fragmentation as a result of farming or housing developments in urban areas like eThekwini.
They are preyed on by the African Crowned Eagles who are very efficient forest hunters.
The Blue Duiker is one of three species of antelope found in Krantzkloof Nature reserve the others being Bushbuck and the closely related but larger Grey or Common Duiker.
The Common Duiker is found in scrubby bush tickets and forest edges but seldom in the forest itself.
Good areas to spot the Blue Duiker are in the Ronald’s Kloof area and Longshadow Trail.
The name “duiker” comes from an Afrikaans word meaning “diver”, these species being named for their habit of diving into cover when disturbed; in the blue duiker this behaviour is often accompanied by a loud, sneezing whistle given by the male.
isiZulu Tanslation: Sibusiso Chamane
Usayizi 35cm ehlombe
Imisa 4,7kg Female 4kg abesilisa
Ukuphila 10 - 12 years
Umumo ngokongiwa Uhlelo ngokuvikeleka kwesiqiwi Kwa-Zulu Natal, libalwe njengoluncane kwi S A Red Data Book.
iPhithi ingenunyane kuwo wonke amanye maphakathi nomzansi Afrika. Igqize ngombala oluhlaza kanye nompunga kancane ngaphansi. Isisila sinochaphashana olumhlophe olubonakala uma itshikizisa isisila. Bobubili ubulili bufishane kakhulu kwesinye isikhathi buyaba ngu-2cm, izimponolo eziqondile nezibukhali, kwezinye zesifazane izimponolo zinokucasha.
iPhithi zingambili zivela zindawonye njalo kanti zihlala kwencane indawo, ezivlkeleke kwamanye ama Blue Duiker. Ajwayele ukunyakaza ezintathakusa kodwa abonwa ikhamela ngenkathi ehamba ebusuku. Ajwayele ukubonakala ehamba ngamabili.
Adla amaqabunga, izimbali kanye namajikijolo awile, abuye adle amaqanola ezinyoni nezinambuzane.
Azalela noma kunini, esikhathini esiyizinsuku ezingu 210. Izinyane ngalinye elizelwe lisinda 400 grams. Asanda kuzalwa ayathukuswa amasonto ambalwa okuqala emva kokuzalwa, emva kwesikhashana ahanjiswe kubazali emva kokufukanyelwa 388 wezinsuku.
Asabalele kusuka ko Mpumalanga Kapa kuya ko Ntshonalanga Afrika. Abonakala kakhulu ezindaweni eziphakemeyo nako ngoba kunokuswakama kwamanzi emahlathini.
Zihlala emahlathini noma emahlane aswakeme noma onqanqameni noma maphakathi nomahlathi kwizindawo ezinemvula enkulu Kwa Zulu Natal, kuze kufinyelele emazingeni angu 1370m.
Nakuba engaphila ezindaweni ezincane aphazanyiswa ukushoda kwendawo kanye nokunciphiseka kwayo okuba umphumela wokulima noma intuthuko yezi ndlu ezindaweni zasemadolobheni nje ngase Thekwini. Zibuye zizingelwe ama African Crowned Eagles akukhonze kakhulu ukuzingela emahlathini.
Blue Duiker ingenye yemishungu emithathu yezilwane ezitholakala e Krantzkloof Nature Reserve amanye bushbuck nasezindaweni ezisond elenezihlobene. Ama duiker ajwayelekile atholakala emahlathi acinene kakhulu nasemphethelweni nasehlathini uqobo. Ezinye izindawo ongawabona khona ikwi Ronalds Kloof nase Longshadow Trail.
Igama “Duiker” liqhamuka kwele Afrikaans elisho “diver” lomhlaba ubizwa ngomkhuba wokugxumel ndawo thizeni uma engaphazamisekile, kwi Blue Duiker lesijwayezi sijwayele ukuphelezelwa umsindo, ukuhonqa okuvela kowesilisa.