Capra pygmaea Linnaeus, 1758 Antilope regia Erxleben, 1777 Antilope opinigera Lesson, 1827 Moschus pygmaeus Linnaeus, 1766 Nanotragus perpusillus Gray, 1851 The royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus) is a West African antelope recognized as the world's smallest.

The soft coat is reddish to golden brown, in sharp contrast with the white ventral parts.

An herbivore, the royal antelope prefers small quantities of fresh foliage and shoots; fruits and fungi may be taken occasionally.

It inhabits the warm, moist lowland forests prevalent in western African countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas recognised two species – Tragulus pygmaeus and Antilope pygmaea.

[7][8] A 2014 phylogenetic analysis based on cytochrome b sequences and linear skull measurements showed polyphyly in Neotragus.

Only males possess horns, these being short, smooth, ventrally reflexed spikes measuring 2.5–3 cm (1.0–1.2 in) long.

[2][12][16] The soft coat is reddish to golden brown, in sharp contrast with the white ventral parts.

It can move swiftly, either by sprinting fast with the body low to the ground, or through strong leaps powered by the large, well-muscled hindlegs.

[12] A herbivore, the royal antelope prefers small quantities of fresh foliage and shoots; fruits and fungi may be taken occasionally.

Though the antelope is considered to be nocturnal, zoologist Jonathan Kingdon holds that feeding occurs throughout the day, though some foraging may also be observed at night.

Typically a single, delicate offspring is born after an unknown gestational period, weighing 0.8–1 kg (1.8–2.2 lb) – nearly a third of an adult's weight.

It inhabits the warm, moist lowland forests prevalent in western African countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Its geographic range extends eastward from the Kounounkan Massif in southwestern Guinea through Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire to the Volta River in Ghana.

Protected areas where the royal antelope occurs include the Tai National Park, Haut Bandama Fauna and Flora Reserve and Mabi-Yaya Classified Forest (Côte d'Ivoire); Kakum National Park and Assin-Attandanso Game Production Reserve (Ghana); Ziama and Diecke Forest Reserves (Guinea); Tiwai Island and Gola Rainforest National Park (Sierra Leone).