Kirk's Dik Dik
Madoqua kirkii
CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Artiodactyla
FAMILY: Bovidae
SIZE:
12 - 18 inches tall, 20 - 28 inches; weigh 10 - 15 lbs.
RANGE:
Eastern and Southwestern Africa
HABITAT:
DIET:
Wild - Vegetarian Diet with some protein
Zoo - Herbivore diet, apples, lettuce, carrots
DESCRIPTION:
Slightly bigger than a hare. Graceful shape, slender legs, and a round back. Short delicate head with forehead tuft. Medium long ears, large eyes, and horns on the males.
FACTS:
- Heavily hunted mostly for skin.
- Elongated snout. Characteristic feature of the genus.
- Specialized nose extends into a sort of trunk that can turn in all directions and it serves as a major thermoregulatory device (arterial blood being diverted to the membranes there and cooled through an evaporative process.)
- Usually live in pairs; predominately nocturnal
YOUNG:
- One young is born
- Fully grown at 12 months; sexually mature at 6 months
- Young males are eventually chased off by the male parent.
STATUS:
Not threatened; it is widespread and common but has been exterminated in some areas from loss of habitat and hunting.
REFERENCE:
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia; Vol. 13, Mammals IV, Dr. Bernhard Grzimek
