Bates's pygmy antelope (''Nesotragus batesi''), also known as the dwarf antelope, pygmy antelope''The New Encyclopaedia of Mammals'' D MacDonald 2002 Oxford or Bates' dwarf antelope, is a very small

antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

living in the moist

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

and brush of Central and

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

. It is in the same genus as the suni.

Description

Adult antelope weigh about , and are long, with a tail length of . Only males have horns, about long. Their coat is shiny dark chestnut on the back and lighter toward the flanks. Male antelope are generously bigger than females.

Distribution and habitat

Bates pigmy antelope is native to tropical Central Africa. The range is separated into three distinct areas; southeastern Nigeria; the lower part of the

Congo Basin The Congo Basin () is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It contains some of the larg ...

; and northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo extending into western Uganda. Its typical habitat is humid lowland forest where it favours dense undergrowth. It also inhabits plantations, secondary forest, cleared areas and areas round human habitations.

Ecology

Bates's pygmy antelope eat leaves, buds, shoots, fungus, grass, and herbs. They also eat crops, which makes them unpopular with farmers. They are often caught in snares near agricultural fields. They have a typical territory of . Males are territorial, marking their territory with scent produced in the

preorbital gland The preorbital gland is a paired exocrine gland found in many species of artiodactyls, which is homologous to the lacrimal gland found in humans. These glands are trenchlike slits of dark blue to black, nearly bare skin extending from the media ...

s. Females are friendlier with each other and sometimes live in small groups. They bark when fleeing. Most pygmy antelope mate at late dry and early wet seasons. Gestation period is 180 days. One young is born per pregnancy. The fawn weighs between .

Status

Bates's pygmy antelope are not endangered although they are facing habitat loss; the expansion of human population has a negative effect on future population. In general, they are able to adapt to secondary forest, plantations, roadside verges and village gardens. Although not hunted commercially, this antelope is hunted for bushmeat in limited numbers.

References

External links

Information
{{Taxonbar, from=Q238793 Bates's pygmy antelope Fauna of Central Africa Mammals of Cameroon Mammals of the Central African Republic Mammals of the Republic of the Congo Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mammals of Equatorial Guinea Mammals of Gabon Mammals of Uganda Mammals of West Africa Bates's pygmy antelope Taxa named by William Edward de Winton Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN