Cephalophus dorsalis
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis), also known as the black-striped duiker and the black-backed duiker, is a forest-dwelling duiker native to western and southern Africa. It was first described by British zoologist John Edward Gray in 1846. Two subspecies are identified. The bay duiker is reddish-brown and has a moderate size. Both sexes reach 44–49 cm (17–19 in) at the shoulder. The sexes do not vary considerably in their weights, either; the typical weight range for this duiker is 18–23 kg (40–51 lb). Both sexes have a pair of spiky horns, measuring 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in). A notable feature of this duiker is the well-pronounced solid stripe of black extending from the back of the head to the tail.
The bay duiker is a nocturnal animal. It tends to remain solitary, but pairs can also be observed. The leopard is the main predator of this duiker. It mainly prefers fruits, but may also feed on animal matter such as bird eggs. Females may conceive by the age of 18 months. Breeding occurs throughout the year. Gestation lasts about 240 days, following which generally a single offspring is born. The lifespan of the bay duiker is typically 17 to 18 years.
The bay duiker prefers old-growth or primary forests. It has been historically overhunted across its range for bushmeat. The survival of the bay duiker is also threatened by human settlement and agricultural expansion due to this duiker's preference for old-growth forests, and habitat degradation. The bay duiker is, however, still a common duiker species, and is classified as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abidjan zoo | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bay Duiker sighting in Odzala-Kokoua National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 32 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Bay Duiker in Odzala-Kokoua National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, August and December–April, the lowest months. That is one of Odzala-Kokoua National Park's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain against 50 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bay Duiker sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Odzala-Kokoua National Park, in our data
Odzala-Kokoua National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Bay Duiker sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Cephalophus
The closest relatives of the Bay Duiker that you can see in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (genus Cephalophus, Forest Duikers) are Black Fronted Duiker (about 30%), Peters' Duiker (about 30%) and Light-backed Duiker (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bay Duiker is recorded against all the mammals logged in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
