Overview
The typical Kirk dik-dik is somewhat smaller than the Damara subspecies.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Madoqua
- Species
- Madoqua kirki
Habitat
Arid plains and hills, dry scrub. Distribution- Southern Somalia west of the Webi Shebeli river, southern Kenya, and northern and central Tanzania.
Diet
Primarily a grazer.
Behavior
Dik-diks have well-developed sight, scent, and hearing. When dik-diks feel they’re in danger or hear the alarm calls from other animals, they hide instead of fleeing from predators. And when frightened or disturbed, dik-diks make a whistling sound through the nose that sounds like “zik-zik,” and this is probably how they got their name. Dik-diks mate for life and live together in low bush areas along dry, rocky stream beds. They are rarely seen apart from their partners. Mostly nocturnal, dik-diks avoid the heat of day; this also helps them prevent unnecessary water loss.
Hunting
Only hunted in Tanzania. Mainly spot and stalk methods. Often a high caliber solid bullet is prefered due to its passing through without expansion, causing little damage to the meat and hyde.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN. Considered to have sustainable populations for the future.