Overview
Somewhat larger than the Kirk dik-dik, it is darker on the back and a brighter reddish fawn color on the flanks.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Madoqua
- Species
- kirki
Habitat
May live in places as varied as dense forest or open plain, but they require good cover and not too much tall grass. Distribution- Southwestern Angola, and northwestern and central Namibia.
Diet
Their diet mainly consists of foliage, shoots, fruit and berries, but little or no grass.
Behavior
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
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.