Yellow-backed duiker

The striking yellow-backed duiker (Cephalophus sylviculter) is also atypical of the family, owing to its relatively large size — heavier than a bushbuck — rather than any habitat preference.

The coat of yellow-backed duikers is black or brown in color with a yellow triangular patch near the tail. This yellow patch typically will not appear until about 1 month of age and will not be completely developed until about 10 months. Males and females resemble each other in appearance, although females are slightly larger. The muzzle area is a light gray color which surrounds their white lips. Both sexes have short, conical horns that grow between 8.5 and 21 centimeters long.

Young yellow-backed duikers are born a dark brown color with spotted flanks and red undersides. These cryptic colors help them remain hidden from predators in the forest.

Yellow-backed duikers have unique scent glands located posterior to each eye. Unlike other antelope species, these glands secrete from a grouping of pores, not from a solitary large opening. These scent glands are used to mark territorial boundaries. Yellow-backed duikers are built for life in dense vegetation. The body is arched, with short forelegs and longer hindlegs for manuverability.

Yellow-backed duikers are one of the largest species of forest duikers, ranging from 45 to 80 kilograms in the wild. The body is 115 to 145 centimeters in length, with a short tail measuring 11 to 18 centimeters. Yellow-backed duikers have the largest brain size relative to body size than any other antelope species.

It is a west African species, but has been recorded in several forests in western Uganda, including those in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Mgahinga, Rwenzori and Queen Elizabeth national parks; it’s sometimes encountered fleetingly along the forest track leading uphill from the Buhoma headquarters at Bwindi.