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Yellow-Backed Duiker

Cephalophus silvicultor

The largest of the forest duikers, a dark, shy African antelope with a bright yellow patch on its back.

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About the Yellow-Backed Duiker

Yellow-backed duikers live in forests of western and central Africa, from Guinea-Bissau to Uganda and south to Angola and Zambia. They weigh 99 to 176 pounds and have black or brown coats with a yellow triangle on the back near the tail. Both sexes have short, cone-shaped horns. They eat mostly fruit, plus leaves, seeds, buds, bark and shoots.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Cephalophus silvicultor[1]
Size
About 3.8 to 4.8 feet long.[1]
Weight
99 to 176 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
About 10 to 12 years in the wild.[1]
Diet
Mostly fruit, plus leaves, seeds, buds, bark and shoots.[1]
Habitat
Forests with thick undergrowth.[1]
Where it lives
Western and central Africa.[1]
Group life
Solitary; rests by day and feeds at night.[1]
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • Its yellow back patch takes about 10 months to fully appear.[1]
  • Yellow-backed duikers sometimes rest on top of termite mounds.[1]
  • It's the most widespread forest duiker.[1]

Vocabulary

duiker
A small to medium African antelope; the name means "diver" because it dives into bushes.
frugivore
An animal that eats mostly fruit.
undergrowth
Bushes and small plants growing under trees.
territory
An area an animal lives in and defends.
near threatened
A conservation label meaning a species may soon be at risk of dying out if things don't improve.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan. “Yellow-backed duiker (Cephalophus silvicultor).” https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cephalophus_silvicultor/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Cephalophus silvicultor (Yellow-backed Duiker).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/4150/50184147 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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