Cephalophus natalensis
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The red forest duiker, Natal duiker, or Natal red duiker (Cephalophus natalensis) is a small antelope found in central to southern Africa. It is one of 22 extant species form the subfamily Cephalophinae. While the red forest duiker is very similar to the common duiker, it is smaller in size and has a distinguishing reddish coloring. Additionally, the red forest duiker favors a denser bush habitat than the common duiker. The Natal red duiker is more diurnal and less secretive than most forest duikers, so therefore it is easier for them to be observed. In 1999, red forest duikers had an estimated wild population of 42,000 individuals.
Red forest duikers have a body length of up to 1 m (3.3 ft), a typical shoulder height of 43 cm (17 in), and an average mass of 14 kg (31 lb). Both sexes have short, straight horns about 6 cm (2.4 in) long, although in females they may be smaller in size. Towards the base, the horns have coarse rings and longitudinal striations, but they are smooth towards the tips. The longest recorded length of horns for the red forest duiker is 11 cm (4.3 in).
The red forest duiker is a rich reddish-brown in color, although the underparts are typically... Wikipedia →
Recording0:13
Kenya · 2024
© Simon Musila · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 5 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Natal Duiker sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 26 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and September
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Natal Duiker in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January, March, May–June and August, the lowest months. Those are among uMkhuze Game Reserve's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 120 mm in February.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Natal Duiker sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Natal Duiker sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 50%) and iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Bovidae
The closest relatives of the Natal Duiker that you can see in uMkhuze Game Reserve (family Bovidae, Bovids) are Nyala (about 80%), Impala (about 70%) and Blue Wildebeest (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Natal Duiker is recorded against all the mammals logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (10 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.
