Abbott's Duiker

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Abbott's Duiker
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Cephalophinae
Genus: Cephalophus
Species: C. spadix
Binomial name
Cephalophus spadix
True, 1890

Abbott's Duiker (Cephalophus spadix also known as Minde in Swahili) is a large forest dwelling Duiker (small antelope) found only in a couple of scattered enclaves in Tanzania. It is believed by some to be a subspecies of the Yellow-backed Duiker.

Characteristics

Abbott's Duikers stand around 65 centimetres tall at the shoulder and weigh approximately 55 kilograms. Abbott's Duikers have a dark brown coat which is lighter on the underside. There is a large red tuft on the forehead. Abbott's Duiker have long thin horns of 8 to 12 centimetres.

Habitat

Abbott's Duiker live in mainly in wet forests and swamps at between 1,700 and 2,700 metres above sea level, where they eat mainly fruit and possibly other plant matter. Abbott's Duiker are nocturnal, spending the days at rest in thickets. They form regular pathways through the undergrowth, making them relatively easy to find. If threatened they generally try to run, though they have been known to kill pursuing dogs when left with no escape route.

Status

There are estimated to be around 2,500 Abbott's Duiker left in the world, and there is no captive population. They are threatened by habitat destruction and hunting.

References

This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.