Kirk's dik-dik
| Kirk's dik-dik | |
|---|---|
_female.jpg) |
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| M. k. kirkii, female, Kenya | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Genus: | Madoqua |
| Species: | M. kirkii |
| Binomial name | |
|
Madoqua kirkii Günther, 1880 |
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| Subspecies | |
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4 ssp., see text |
|
4 ssp., see text
Kirk's dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii) is a small antelope native to Eastern Africa and one of four species of dik-dik antelope. It is believed to have six subspecies and possibly a seventh existing in southwest Africa. Dik-diks are herbivores, typically of a fawn color that aids in camouflaging themselves in savannah habitats. According to MacDonald (1985), they are also capable of reaching speeds of up to 42 kilometers per hour. The lifespan of Kirk's dik-dik in the wild is typically 5 years, but may surpass 10 years. In captivity males have been known to live up to 16.5 years, while females have lived up to 18.4 years.
The dik-dik's name is derived from its call. When they feel threatened, dik-dik lie low to prevent detection. If they are discovered they run in a swift zigzag like pattern until they reach refuge in a nearby thicket. During this ‘flight’ they emit trumpet-like "zik-zik" calls to raise an alarm or to harass predators and publicize the presence of a mated pair.
"Dik-diks are some of the world's smallest antelopes, with the largest, the Kirk's dik-dik, standing between 14 and 18 inches tall and weighing no more than 7.2 kg (16 lb). Female dik-diks tend to be 1 to 2 pounds heavier than males. Dik-diks are dainty creatures with a pointed, mobile snout, large eyes and ears, prominent preorbital glands, pipestem legs, hare-like hind limbs that are significantly larger than their forelimbs, and a vestigial tail. Their coats, depending upon their habitat, range from grey to gray-brown with tan flanks, limbs, and an erectile head crest and whitish eye rings, ear lining, underparts, and rump".
Only male dik-diks sport horns, which are approximately 3 inches long, corrugated, and backward-slanted. Horns of male Kirk's dik-dik may be straight or curved backwards from the profile of the face and the basal half of the horns have seven to nine annular ridges, that are frequently covered by the crest. Kirk's dik-dik are sexually dimorphic: females are larger and lack horns, while males sport a more developed muzzle, a longer crest, and tend to be lighter in color. Though physically very similar the Kirk's dik-dik can be distinguished from Guenthers’ dik-dik due to its longer nasals and premaxillae and shorter proboscis, which gives the head a more wedged-shaped profile than that of Guenther's dik-dik.
Kirk's dik-diks are highly adapted to surviving in the arid regions of eastern Africa. They have a hairy proboscis with tiny slit-like nostrils, a feature that is most pronounced in the Guenther's dik-dik. This proboscis contains an enlarged nasal chamber that is supplied with a rich amount of blood that is cooled via rapid nasal panting. Panting through their snouts leads to airflow and evaporation that cools the blood before it is pumped back into the body.2 This process is also efficient, because it results in a minimal loss of water in the exhaled air. Water and energy conserving methods, such as fluctuating body temperatures, lowered metabolic rates, concentrated urine, and dry feces all contribute to the ability of the dik-dik to survive harsh arid climates. Further, as observed by Hoppe 1977b, Kamau 1988, and Maloiy et al., 1988, they also conserve fluids by licking dew from their nose and reabsorbing water from their feces. When compared to cattle, dik-dik have a significantly lower density of sweat glands.
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Wikipedia