![]() When they occur, the males from each territory dash at each other, either stop short or make head-to-head contact, then back off for another round, with head crests erected. Reproductionĭik-diks are monogamous, and conflicts between territorial neighbors are rare. Dik-diks' tapering heads may help them eat the leaves between the spines on acacia trees, and feed while still keeping their head high to detect predators. After initial digestion, the food is repeatedly eructated and rechewed, a process known also as rumination, or ' chewing the cud'. Like all even-toed ungulates, they digest their food with the aid of micro-organisms in their four-chambered stomachs. They receive sufficient amounts of water from their food, which makes drinking unnecessary. Their diet mainly consists of foliage, shoots, fruit and berries, but little or no grass. DietĪ family of Kirk's dik-dik at Lake Manyara, Tanzaniaĭik-diks are herbivores. Dik-diks have an established series of runways through and around the borders of their territories that are used when they feel threatened. Dik-diks, with their dusty colored coat, are able to blend in with their surroundings. The territories are often in low, shrubby bushes (sometimes along dry, rocky streambeds) with plenty of cover. They usually live in pairs in territories of about 5 hectares (12 acres). Dik-diks may live in places as varied as dense forest or open plain, but they require good cover and not too much tall grass. Dik-diks seek habitats with a plentiful supply of edible plants such as shrubs. Habitatĭik-diks live in shrublands and savannas of eastern Africa. However, dik-diks have a lower metabolic rate than would be predicted for their size as a physiological adaptation to heat and aridity. Because of their small body size, dik-diks are predicted to have among the highest metabolic rates and highest energy requirement per kilogram of all ruminants. These adaptations help dik-diks preserve body water. Similarly, in more arid environments, dik-diks can concentrate their urine. For instance, dik-diks have a lower density of sweat glands compared to other animals such as cattle. ![]() Adaptations for desert environmentsĭik-diks have special physiological adaptations to help them survive in arid environments. However, this panting is only implemented in extreme conditions dik-diks can tolerate air temperatures of up to 40 ☌ (104 ☏). Airflow and subsequent evaporation cools this blood before it is recirculated to the body. Perhaps to prevent overheating, dik-diks (especially Guenther's dik-diks) have elongated snouts with bellows-like muscles through which blood is pumped. Dik-diks insert grass stems and twigs into the gland to scent-mark their territories. A bare black spot below the inside corner of each eye contains a preorbital gland that produces a dark, sticky secretion. The upper body is gray-brown, while the lower parts of the body, including the legs, belly, crest, and flanks, are tan. The hair on the crown forms an upright tuft that sometimes partially conceals the short, ribbed horns of the male. The males have horns, which are small (about 7.6 centimetres or 3 in), slanted backwards and longitudinally grooved. Physical characteristicsįemale dik-diks are somewhat larger than males. ![]() The name dik-dik comes from an onomatopoeia of the repetitive dik sound female dik-diks whistle through their long, tubular snouts when they feel threatened. These calls may alert other animals to predators. In addition to the females' alarm call, both the male and female make a shrill, whistling sound. Dik-diks are named for the alarm calls of the females. A dik-dik is the name for any of four species of small antelope in the genus Madoqua that live in the bushlands of eastern and southern Africa.
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