Description 

The Duiker gets its name from the Afrikaans word 'duiker' which means to dive, relating to the animal's habit of ducking away into bushes when danger threatens. They can live independently of water and feed on leaves, fruit and seeds. They are one of the very few antelope to have been known to eat insects and carrion.

Appearance 

The common, or grey, Duiker is a tiny, shy antelope with only the males having short horns. The common name refers to a characteristic habit of taking off at high speed in a series of diving jumps when alarmed. Adult males stand 500mm at the shoulders and females are about 20mm higher. Males have a mass of between 15 and 18 kg, females between 16 and 21 kg. The colour of the upper parts varies from a greyish-buff in (S.g. caffra) to a reddish-yellow in (S.g. splendidula) Considerable colour variation within populations are observed in some areas. The under parts are usually white. Most have a black band restricted to the lower part of the face near the nostrils.

Diet

They browse a wide range of broad-leaved forbs, trees and bushes, they also eat fruit, pods and seeds, roots, bark, flowers, fungi, caterpillars and even nestling birds. In arid areas wild melons are eaten for their water content. They may be a problem in crops, orchards, vineyards and plantations.