Mammals Active day and night

Maxwell's Duiker

Philantomba maxwellii

iNaturalist Wikipedia

A secretive and graceful inhabitant of West Africa's dense rainforests, the Maxwell's Duiker is a master of the undergrowth. This small, slate-grey antelope is most famous for its arched back and its unique habit of 'diving' into thickets when startled.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length 63–100 cm (25–39 in); Shoulder height 35–42 cm (14–16.5 in); Weight 4–10 kg (9–22 lbs)

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Colors

Uniform greyish-brown to slate-grey upper body; whitish or pale grey belly; dark tail with white edges and a distinctive fringe of hair.

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Key Features

Distinctive preorbital gland slits below eyes
Highly arched back with shorter front legs than hind legs
Small, straight, spiked horns often hidden by hair tuft
Small, rounded ears with white interior markings

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active day and night

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Peak hours 5-8 AM, 6-10 PM

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Season Year-round

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Diet Primarily a frugivore, Maxwell's Duiker specializes in finding fallen fruits and seeds on the forest floor. They often follow monkeys or birds in the canopy to scavenge the fruit they drop. They also consume leaves, shoots, and occasionally fungi.

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Habitat Dense lowland rainforests, secondary growth forests, gallery forests, and thickets near forest edges.

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Where Does the Maxwell's Duiker Live?

The Maxwell's Duiker is a native inhabitant of the lush forest blocks of West Africa. Its primary range stretches from southwestern Senegal and The Gambia eastward through Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d'Ivoire, reaching its eastern limit at the Volta River in Ghana. It is a true specialist of the Upper Guinean forest, where it thrives in moist lowland environments and riverine thickets that offer dense cover from predators.

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9 Countries

850K km² Range

Least Concern Conservation

Côte d'Ivoire Liberia GH Ghana Guinea Sierra Leone Togo Guinea-Bissau SN Senegal Gambia

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

Maxwell's Duikers are highly territorial creatures that rely heavily on scent marking to define their personal space. They possess large preorbital glands under their eyes, which they rub against twigs, branches, and even their mates to leave a chemical signature. While they are often described as shy and secretive, they are remarkably social within their pair bonds, frequently engaging in mutual grooming and a unique 'head-pressing' behavior to reinforce social ties.

In terms of daily activity, these small antelopes are cathemeral, meaning they are active intermittently throughout both the day and night. However, in areas with significant human activity or hunting pressure, they quickly shift toward more nocturnal patterns to remain undetected. They move with a characteristic 'duiking' or diving motion through thick undergrowth, which is how they earned their common name from the Afrikaans word 'duiker' (diver).

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Camera Tips

To successfully capture a Maxwell's Duiker on camera, you must account for their small size and ground-dwelling habits. Set your camera at a 'knee-high' level—approximately 12 to 18 inches (30–45 cm) off the ground. This low placement provides an intimate, eye-level perspective of the animal and ensures you don't miss them under a wider, higher-angle shot designed for larger mammals.

The best locations for camera placement are 'fruiting hotspots.' Identify trees that are currently dropping ripe fruit, such as wild figs or oil palms, as duikers will visit these spots repeatedly. Because they are naturally skittish and sensitive to light, it is highly recommended to use 'No-Glow' or 'Black Flash' infrared cameras. White flash can spook them instantly, causing them to abandon the area for days.

Look for 'tunnels' in the dense undergrowth. These are established game trails used by small mammals to move through the forest safely. If you place your camera along these trails, set the trigger speed to its fastest setting; duikers are remarkably quick and can dart through the frame in a fraction of a second. Using video mode for 10-15 seconds can often reveal fascinating social behaviors like scent marking that a still photo might miss.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Maxwell's Duiker.

Blue Duiker

Smaller in size with a more bluish-grey coat; found primarily east of the Volta River into Central and Southern Africa.

Walter's Duiker

A very similar-looking relative found in the Dahomey Gap; usually requires genetic testing or very specific geographic location for positive ID.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Maxwell's Duikers are cathemeral, meaning they are active at various intervals during both day and night. However, they tend to show peaks of activity at dawn and dusk, and may become entirely nocturnal in areas where they feel threatened by human presence.

If you live within their native West African range, the best way to attract them is by maintaining dense, natural cover and planting native fruit-bearing trees. They are attracted to fallen fruit, so leaving natural forest litter undisturbed provides them with both food and security.

Their diet consists mainly of fallen fruits and seeds scavenged from the forest floor. They also supplement this with fresh leaves, young shoots, and occasionally flowers or fungi.

While they prefer deep forest, they are remarkably adaptable and can be found in secondary forests and suburban 'bush' areas on the outskirts of cities in West Africa, provided there is enough thick cover for them to hide in during the day.

Maxwell's Duikers are slightly larger than Blue Duikers. The most reliable way to distinguish them is by their range; Maxwell's is found west of the Dahomey Gap (Volta River), while the Blue Duiker is found to the east and south. Maxwell's also has different leg coloring and a more prominent preorbital gland.

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