Zebra Duikers Diorama – Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The zebra duiker (Cephalophus zebra) is a small antelope found in Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. It has also been recently discovered in south east Guinea. They have gold or red-brown coats with distinctive zebra-like stripes, dark markings on their upper legs, and russet faces. They grow to 90 cm (35 in) in length, 45 cm in height, and 20 kg (44 lb) in weight. Their prong-like horns are about 4.5 cm long in males, and half that in females.

Their arched backs, short forelimbs and longer hindlimbs enable the them to slip easily through the dense vegetation of the coastal rain forests of West Africa. Here only very thin shafts of light penetrate the closed canopy (leafy treetops) of the jungle to reach the floor of the forest. The duiker’s striking black stripes help it to blend with these intricate patterns of light and shadow. Zebra duikers probably defend strict territories, form exclusive pairs, and may even mate for life.

They are considered vulnerable due to continuing deforestation and overhunting within their range. The wild population is estimated at 28,000 individuals.