Ogilby’s Duiker, also known as the, White-legged Duiker, Cephalophus ogilbyi, is a little known small antelope found in the southeastern end of Nigeria, distinguished among other duikers by its paler coloration and long legs with powerful hindquarters. It weighs up to 20 kg and has a shoulder height of up to 56 cm. Head and body length is between 85- 115 cm. The animal’s stocky body and arched back allows it to move easily through dense undergrowth. This diurnal duiker is likely to be found either alone or in pairs, just like other diver antelopes. No Ogilby’s duikers are known to be kept in captivity.
The Ogilby’s Duiker is a trim orange to mahogany-colured duiker with chunky hindquarter and a bold black dorsal stripe that tapers to a point just above the tail. Body colour extends down relatively long, slender body. The horns which occur in both sexes are short but peculiarly incurved and heavily corrugated. Tail tuft is very large. Skull is with an extreme inflation of the forehead behind the frontal structure of the nose., making a protruded frontal boss which is reduced laterally. Species found in the island have more extreme frontal boss than the one in neighboring Nigeria.
The C. o. ogilbyi subspecies, which has its stripes continuing into the tail as a thin line, occurs on Bioko Island, and then on the mainland in southeast Nigeria. Population remains high in the Cross Rivers National Park. However, it is the only Nigerian forest antelope on the 1994 IUCN Red list. This species has been reduced to relict populations in the Niger-delta.
