If you are looking for a challenge when hunting in Africa, the tiniest duiker should be on your list! Secretive, silent, and extremely difficult to spot in the lush vegetation, the blue duiker (Philantomba monticola) is a prize worth targeting on a game hunting safari! Standing less than 20 inches in height, this antelope got its name from the Dutch word “diver” as when disturbed or threatened, it dives into the underbrush and disappears.

Blue duikers are native to Central, Eastern and Southern Africa and prefer inhabiting lowland forests, coastal scrubs, farmlands, and dense thickets. They are extremely cautious animals and are more active at dawn and dusk. Their conservation status is “least concern.”

These antelopes are monogamous and stay together throughout the year. They are non-seasonal breeders, with a gestation period of approximately seven and a half months and give birth to one baby duiker, with twins being extremely rare. For the first few weeks of its life, the baby duiker remains hidden and is weaned by five months.

Being so small, the blue duiker has numerous predators just waiting for a tasty snack. These predators include, leopards, pythons, baboons, hyenas, crocodiles, monitor lizards, large birds of prey and man.

Blue duikers are one of the only antelope species that are omnivores, eating bird eggs and insects in addition to vegetation. They feast on berries, fruits, leaves and seeds. Blue duikers are also known for following monkeys and consuming the fruit dropped fruit.