Dik-dik The dik-dik’s name derived from the sound they make. When they feel threatened, dik-diks lie low to prevent detection. If discovered, they run in a swift, zigzag-like pattern.
During this ‘defense’, they emit a wheezing and whistling warning sound “zik-zik” or “dik-dik”. To raise an alarm or to harass predators and publicize a mated pair. These antelopes were called “dik-diks” by the early settlers and hunters as they ruined the hunter’s chances of shooting any larger game.
The Dik-Dik belongs to a group of tiny antelopes that live throughout regions of Africa, of which there are four species, which make up the taxonomic genus Madoqua. Most of them stand just a foot tall. The different species are the Silver, Salt, Gunther, and Kirk species.
Kirk’s dik-dik is the most common subspecies and is a resident of Tanzania. The IUCN reports that their population could be over 1 million. Native to Eastern Africa.
Kirk’s dik-dik, the largest, stands only 35–45 cm (14–18 inches) tall and weighs 3.8–7.2 kg (8.4–15.8 pounds); females are 0.5–1 kg (1–2 pounds) heavier than males. Kirk’s dik-diks vary in color depending on their
Habitat and behaviour
but are yellowish-gray to reddish brown on their back and grayish-white on their belly. Males have horns that are ringed and stout at the base, which are often concealed by a tuft of hair on their forehead.
These antelopes have beautiful, large, dark eyes surrounded by a white ring. And while their eyes are stunning, they provide more than just sight. Preorbital glands appear as a black spot below the inside corner of each eye.
These glands produce a dark, sticky secretion used to scent-mark their territories.
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