Common Duiker
Common Duiker spoor is identified like this: very small, neat and pointed hoof prints. Common Duikers are highly selective feeders that prefer eating fruits, flowers, and succulent leaves over simple grass, often following monkeys to scavenge fallen fruit from the canopy.
Spoor Signature
Common Duiker
"Very small, neat and pointed hoof prints. The two halves of the hoof are slender."
Spoor Profile
| Species | Common Duiker |
|---|---|
| Group | Antelopes |
| Track signature | Very small, neat and pointed hoof prints. The two halves of the hoof are slender. |
| Activity pattern | Antelope move between grazing and water through the day, so their spoor accumulates on road verges and around waterholes in dense, overlapping trails. |
Field Wisdom: Common Duiker
Knowing the animal makes reading its spoor far easier. These field notes explain the behaviour behind the tracks you find.
- 1
Common Duikers are highly selective feeders that prefer eating fruits, flowers, and succulent leaves over simple grass, often following monkeys to scavenge fallen fruit from the canopy.
- 2
When threatened, they get their name from the Afrikaans word 'duik' meaning to dive, as they disappear into thick cover with a rapid, zig-zagging motion.
- 3
They are territorial and solitary animals that use specialized preorbital glands located in front of their eyes to mark their range by rubbing against twigs and grass.
- 4
Unlike many other antelope, they are known to occasionally supplement their herbivorous diet by catching and eating insects, frogs, or even small birds.
Identification Protocol
- 1
Analyze the substrate. Soft river sand near Skukuza will provide deep, clear imprints, while hard northern mopaneveld soil requires looking for shallow "ticks" or claw marks.
- 2
Look for the stride length. A walking Common Duiker will leave a regular, repeating pattern. Changes in gait often signal proximity to water or recent predator interaction.
Compare Similar Spoor
Spoor that trackers routinely compare against Common Duiker prints in the field: