At which point, they find a mate and remain paired for life. Although blue duikers are considered monogamous, males occasionally mate outside of their pair. Boehner, et al. Pairs of blue duikers remain together throughout the year, spending much of their time in close proximity. Seasonality does not appear to influence their reproduction, as they continue to produce offspring throughout the year. After the female calves, the male leaves the territory for approximately one month, during which time other males may enter the territory.
The return of the female's mate drives other males away. Their gestation period lasts anywhere from to days and typically produces only one calf per reproductive event. After calving, the female conceals her offspring, and for the first several weeks after birth, the majority of contact between the calf and female takes place during nursing. Eventually, when the calf is more mature, it spends more time with its mother. The calf is weaned between 2.
Female calves typically leave when they are sexually mature, between 1 and 1. Usually, only one offspring associates with the parents at any one time, but occasionally a monogamous pair will share its territory with two offspring of different ages. Blue duiker calves are extremely precocial and are able to run within 20 minutes of birth. The mother typically allows the calf to nurse approximately 3 times a day for the first month, after which the mother reduces nursing events until the calf is weaned at 2.
Initially, the male is absent, taking leave shortly after the calf is born, and returning approximately one month later. However, he does not travel far, and does occasionally come back and spend time with his mate. It is believed that the male leaves his territory to aid in the protection of his offspring. In captivity, blue duikers typically live 10 to 15 years, but the oldest recorded captive individual survived until it was nearly 16 years old.
In the wild, their lifespan is shorter, with the oldest known individual surviving to age Captive duikers are commonly afflicted with several illness, most notably 'sloshing syndrome' or rumen hypomotility syndrome.
This illness is characterized by a build-up within the rumen caused by limited activity. Blue duikers live in dense patches of forest in monogamous pairs. Adults spend the day moving through their territory foraging for leaves and fallen fruit. These animals are diurnal, but have been known to display nocturnal behavior when the female is in estrus. The adult male and female often forage in different parts of their territory during the day, but periodically come back together.
Likewise, they may spend all, or part of the night in different parts of their territory, or together. Pairs will defend their territory from other duikers by assuming a posture known as 'low-horn presentation'. Usually, the intruding individual will flee once confronted, but occasionally a battle ensues. Battles between blue duikers involve ramming one another repeatedly with their horns. These fights typically end without injury, although occasionally an individual will suffer stab wounds.
Bowman and Plowman, ; Estes, ; Kranz, Blue duikers are among the most widespread duiker species. This can be attributed in part to their minimal requirements for patches of continuous habitat and their ability to survive in disturbed areas. Blue duikers have a minimum critical patch area of 0. They can be found near human inhabited areas, and do not appear to be averse to commercial plantations, which they sometimes use as corridors between patches of appropriate habitat. The largest anthropogenic issues for the species appears to be the disassembling of firewood piles, as these duikers use hallows in woodpiles for roosting.
Estes, ; Lawes, et al. Blue duikers use auditory, visual, olfactory, and tactile senses for communication. They have several methods of displaying alarm to a mate or offspring, including vocalizing and flicking their tail. Auditory signals include snorting, whistling, hitting an object with their horns, and stamping their feet. Each of these displays conveys different messages and may communicate alarm or sexual excitement.
Their primary visual display is tail flicking; flicking their black tail reveals a white underside, which is believed to communicate imminent danger. Blue duikers have several scent glands, the most notable of which are the preorbital glands. Preorbital glands are thought to be important in communicating social acceptance and territory ownership.
Pair members may scent mark each other, their offspring, or trees in their home range. Individuals often lick one another, a behavior that is thought to indicate social acceptance.
Licking is especially evident when a male is courting a female. Estes, Blue duikers are frugivores and primarily feed on fallen ripe and unripe fruit, seeds, flowers, and fungi. They are ruminants, but have a relatively small rumen, which results in a rapid rate of food turnover. In association with rapid turnover, they prefer foods that are low in cellulose and starch with moderate fiber and protein content.
They are, however, capable of digesting foods that are relatively high in tannins. Dierenfeld, et al. The nape and throat turn ash-grey as the animal ages. Both sexes carry short, straight horns. The horns have coarse basal rings and longitudinal striations, but are smooth towards the tips.
Red-flanked Duikers are territorial, and normally live in pairs, pairs with one dependent youngster, or alone. The only times they form groups larger than three are at water sources, salt licks, or fruit falls that occur at territorial boundaries. Blue duikers live throughout central, eastern, and southern Africa. They inhabit a wide variety of forest and woodlands, including lowland rainforest, gallery forest, coastal scrub farmland, dense thicket, and montane forest.
Blue duikers are forest antelope that spend most of their time foraging for fruit and other plant materials to eat. They are most active at dawn and at dusk. They are known to follow in the wake of monkeys and birds, eating fruit that those animals drop. Blue duikers form monogamous pairs and stay together throughout the year.
Each pair establishes its own small territory that it will defend from other duikers. Blue duikers are easily preyed upon by many animals, including hyenas, wild dogs, African golden cats, leopards, crocodiles, baboons, pythons…and the list goes on.
They also are widely hunted by humans. When threatened, they will sound an alarm cry and flee as quickly as possible.
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