CreatureData

Bay duiker

Cephalophus dorsalis Gray, 1846

NTNear Threatenedmammals

The bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis) is a species in the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla. Recorded adults weigh 11.6 kg to 20 kg and live up to 17.1 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

Bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis)
Photo: Lyse Primault · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the bay duiker

Weight
11.6 kg – 20 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
17.1 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
17.5 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
236 days – 274 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
19 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the bay duiker live?

Not recorded

What is the bay duiker?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Bay duiker” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bay_duiker&oldid=1379736105), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the bay duiker endangered?

The bay duiker is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.

How is the bay duiker classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderArtiodactyla
  5. familyBovidae
  6. genusCephalophus
  7. SpeciesCephalophus dorsalis Gray, 1846

Synonyms Cephalophus dorsalis dorsalis

Other names and names in other languages (24)
  • Bay DuierEnglish
  • Black-backed duikerEnglish
  • Western Bay duikerEnglish
  • Western Bay duikerEnglish
  • ديكر الخليجArabic
  • ديكر أسود الظهرArabic
  • chocholatka černohřbetáCzech
  • SchwarzrückenduckerGerman
  • Duiquero BayoSpanish
  • mustaselkäpuikkijaFinnish
  • Céphalophe baiFrench
  • Céphalophe à bande dorsale noireFrench
  • Cefalofo dorsaleItalian
  • Cefalofo dalla schiena neraItalian
  • セスジダイカーJapanese
  • 베이다이커Korean
  • 검은등다이커Korean
  • SvartryggduikerNorwegian Bokmål
  • ZwartrugduikerDutch
  • dujker czarnopręgiPolish
  • Cabra‑do‑mato‑de‑banda‑dorsal‑negraPortuguese
  • Duiker-de-dorso-NegroPortuguese
  • Черноспинный дукерRussian
  • 黑背麂羚Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the bay duiker

Other species in the same genus Cephalophus.

CompareBay duiker vs Yellow-backed duikerBay duiker vs Red forest duikerBay duiker vs Red-flanked duikerBay duiker vs Jentink's duiker

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the bay duiker?

An adult bay duiker weighs 11.6 kg – 20 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the bay duiker endangered?

The bay duiker is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.

How long does the bay duiker live?

The bay duiker has a recorded lifespan of 17.1 years.

How long is the bay duiker pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 236 days – 274 days.

What kind of animal is the bay duiker?

The bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis) belongs to the family Bovidae in the order Artiodactyla.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bay-duiker

MLA

“Bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/bay-duiker.

BibTeX
@misc{bay_duiker_2026,
  title = {Bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/bay-duiker},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}