ANIMAL: Kirk’s Dik-Dik Madoqua kirkii Type of Animal: Antelope Habitat: Dry bush, mixed bush-grass habitat, savanna, shrubland, open plains, arid/semiarid areas, desert thickets along water sources, thicket mosaics w/ well-developed shrub layers & scant short grass cover, arid dense thorn scrub, thickets, open woodland, woodland edges, riverine woodland, grasslands, scrub forest, semiopen areas w/ low vegetation, thornbush, desert, semidesert Location(s): 2 populations-1 in SE Somalia, Kenya, E Uganda, & Tanzania, other in SW Angola & NW Namibia Appearance: Largest of 4 dik-dik species, very small antelopes, dainty light grey to gray-brown w/ tan flanks/limbs, erectile head crest, whitish eye rings/ear lining/underbelly/rump, only males have small horns, males often lighter than females, skinny legs, elongated snout Food/Diet: Foliage, fruits, shoots, berries, leaves, herbs, sedges, grasses, buds, tree/shrub stems Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Breeding in zoos, wildlife parks, & breeding centers Lifestyle: Male-female pairs Additional Info: Called: Male: Buck Female: Doe Young: Fawn/Calf Group: Pair Weight: Male: 8.8 lbs Female: 11 lbs Young: 2 lbs Gestation: 5.5-5.6 months Life Span: 5 years in wild, 10-17 years in captivity Height: Male: 1.26 ft Female: 1.3 ft Body Length: Male: 2.21 ft Female: 2.26 ft Tail Length: Male: 1.77 in Female: 2 in Main predators of adults are felids, hyenas, wild dogs, jackals, crocodiles, pythons, eagles, baboons, hawks, monitor lizards, & honey badgers. Genets prey on young. Females sexually mature at 6 months, males at 7.5-8 months. Territory marked w/ defecation ceremony-1st female poops/pees in specific area w/ mate standing behind her. Then male sniffs at poop/pee while curling upper lip/baring teeth. Male scrapes poop w/ front legs, depositing own droppings/pee over hers. Territory also marked w/ eye secretions from preorbital glands-secretion spread by poking eyes in grass stems/twigs. Get most water from diet, so they don’t need to drink often. Like all antelope, they have 4-chambered stomach & use rumination to break down partially digested food. Hunted for hide used in glove-making & bones used in jewelry-making. Fun Fact(s): Some of the most concentrated urine & driest feces of any ungulate (hooved mammal). Have excellent eyesight & can run up to 26 mph. Can pant to pump blood through snouts, where airflow/evaporation cool it down before blood pumped to rest of body. They’re very shy & flighty in the wild. Named for sound they make-when alarmed, they’ll run in zigzag pattern & make alarm call sounding like “dik dik” by whistling through noses-shrill sound alerts other dik-diks & other animals of nearby danger.
