The Black Duiker ranges from Guinea to Southwestern Nigeria. This area includes the following countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )

Black Duikers are heavily built: short, stocky legs; long body; long head. They are dark brown to black in color. The bridge of their nose and other parts of their head are more reddish in color. They have bare nasal speculums and pointed hooves. Both sexes have horns. The male's are between 7.5 and 17.5 cm. The female's horns are between 2.5 and 3 cm. The body is between 80 and 90 cm long. The tail is between 12 and 14 cm long. The underside of the tail is white. The shoulder height is 45 to 50 cm. And they weigh between 15 and 20 kg.

Range mass: 15 to 20 kg.

Range length: 80 to 90 cm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry

• Terrestrial

C. niger is a terrestrial animal that is found in several different areas of the forest. It lives in areas of the rainforest and in in other forests. It can be found on the edges of these forests, in bushes and thickets. It can also be found in shrublands and degraded forests. (Walther, 1990).

Habitat Regions: tropical

Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest

Black Duikers eat a wide variety of foods. Fruits and foliage are the most common, however, their diet also includes everything from insects to eggs. It is possible that they occasionally eat birds, also.

Foods eaten include: flowers, leaves, buds, young shoots, grasses, herbs, berries, fruits, termites, ants, snails and eggs.

Animal Foods: birds; eggs; insects; mollusks

Plant Foods: leaves; fruit

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Frugivore )

Known Predators:

• leopards (Panthera pardus)
• eagles (Accipitridae)
• African golden cats (Profelis aurata)
• Lybian wild cats (Felis silvestris)
• servals (Leptailurus serval)
• civets (Viverridae)
• large owls (Strigiformes)
• crocodiles (Crocodylus)
• monitor lizards (Varanus)
• pythons (Boidae)

The lifespan of C. niger is between 10 and 12 years.

Range lifespan

Status: wild: 10 to 12 years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 14.8 years.

There does not seem to be a restricted breeding season in C. niger. Females reach sexual maturity between ages 9 and 12 months. Males reach sexual maturity between ages 12 and 18 months. Gestation lasts about 7 months. Only 1 offspring is born per birth; and the offspring weighs about 1 kg. Weaning lasts no longer than 5 months.

Range number of offspring: 1 (low) .

Average number of offspring: 1.

Range gestation period: 4.2 to 7 months.

Range weaning age: 5 (high) months.

Average weaning age: 5 months.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 9 to 18 months.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 9 to 18 months.

Key Reproductive Features: year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal )

Parental Investment: altricial

C. niger is one of the most common duikers in Africa. Still, it suffers from overhunting. It is considered to be rare and endangered in Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria (Kingdon, 1997). However, the IUCN has it ranked as a lower risk species, that is, near threatened. Many are killed each year for meat and skins. Stricter rules on the bushmeat trade would help the status of this mammal.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Humans use the Black Duiker for its meat and its skin.

Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material