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A small gray-brown blue duiker standing among green plants.
Photo: derekkeats, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Blue Duiker

Philantomba monticola

A tiny forest antelope of central and southern Africa that weighs only 9 to 13 pounds and lives in pairs.

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About the Blue Duiker

Blue duikers live in many kinds of African forests, from rainforests to mountain forests, between Nigeria and Gabon in the west and Kenya and South Africa in the east and south. An adult weighs only 4 to 6 kilograms (about 9 to 13 pounds). Blue duikers mostly eat fallen fruit, plus seeds, flowers and fungi. A male and female live together as a pair and defend their own patch of forest.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Philantomba monticola[1]
Size
55 to 72 cm (about 22 to 28 inches) long, plus a 7 to 12.5 cm tail.[1]
Weight
4 to 6 kg (about 9 to 13 pounds).[1]
Lifespan
10 to 15 years in captivity. About 12 years at most in the wild.[1]
Diet
Mostly fallen fruit, plus seeds, flowers and fungi.[1]
Habitat
Rainforests, riverside forests, dense thickets and mountain forests.[1]
Where it lives
Central and southern Africa, from Nigeria to Gabon and from Kenya to South Africa.[1]
Group life
Lives in pairs that defend a territory.[1]
Babies
Pregnancy lasts 196 to 216 days (about 7 months). Usually one calf, weaned at 2.5 to 3 months.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • An adult blue duiker weighs only about 9 to 13 pounds (4 to 6 kg).[1]
  • A blue duiker's tail is black on top and white underneath.[1]
  • Blue duikers are usually active during the day.[1]
  • Even crowned eagles hunt blue duikers.[1]

Vocabulary

antelope
A fast, deer-like mammal with hooves and horns, found mostly in Africa and Asia.
territory
An area an animal lives in and defends from others.
diurnal
Active during the day and resting at night.
fungi
Living things such as mushrooms and molds that are not plants or animals.
wean
When a young animal stops drinking its mother's milk and starts eating other food.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. “Philantomba monticola (blue duiker).” https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Philantomba_monticola/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Philantomba monticola (Blue Duiker).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/4143/50183103 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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