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Zebra Duiker

Zebra Duiker
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae
Genus : Cephalophus
Species : zebra

Height : 18in (45cm)
Weight : 45lbs (20kg)

IUCN Status : Vulnerable

Did you know that US President Calvin Coolidge had a wide assortment of strange pets? On top of nine dogs, four cats, and about half a dozen birds he also had a raccoon, two lions, a pygmy hippopotamus, and a bear. Coolidge also had a Duiker, a small African antelope that is todays featured animal!

I have been unable to figure out what specific type of Duiker he had, so I selected one that I thought looked pretty cool, the Zebra Duiker. These little guys are found in the Ivory Coast, Seirra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. They inhabit forested areas.

Zebra Duikers are solitary animals that eat various types of fruit and foliage. They have a very distinctive striped pattern that helps them to blend in with their environment and protect them from predators.

Even though they spend most of their time alone, it is believed that mated pairs remain monogamous season after season, and that the pair will defend a territory together. Both males and females have horns, and interestingly, the females are often a tad larger than the males are.
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