The smallest antelope in the world. Antelope dik-dik: description, photo

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

We all have long been accustomed to the fact that there are dwarf dogs, cats, rabbits and even horses. However, our today's heroines will surely surprise many.

The smallest antelope

Few people know that there are "mini-versions" of these animals. The dwarf antelope (you see the photo in our article) is an exotic curiosity for our compatriots. This little one is called the Royal. This is the smallest antelope in the world. Her weight is about 4 kilograms, and her height does not exceed 30 cm. Her cub is born so small that it easily fits in the palm of a person.

Habitats

Where does this baby live? To see it, you should go to the jungles of West Africa. True, it is not at all a fact that you will be able to meet her. The royal antelope is a nocturnal animal, and besides, it is very timid.

Lifestyle

These kids live alone, very rarely paired up. They feed on fruits, berries, leaves in the undergrowth. They usually have no problems with food. This allows us to consider the population to be fairly stable. According to the latest data, today there are 62,000 animals of this species.

Many local tribes took the initiative - they urged not to hunt royal antelopes, since in many nations the smallest antelope is a symbol of wisdom.

At the same time, there are those who kill these defenseless animals for meat. This is the most serious danger awaiting this little one.

Antelope dik-dik

Another little girl living in Africa. Dik-dik is not the smallest antelope, but its most graceful representatives can easily fit on the arm of an adult man. Despite their tiny size and angelic appearance, these little ones are endowed with a rather combative nature, and sometimes behave simply defiantly.

Varieties

There are 4 varieties of these babies. Mostly animals live in limestone and rocky deserts and savannahs, where thorny bushes grow in abundance.

Dick-diks mostly hide in dense bushes, they are almost impossible to meet in open space. They build tunnels for themselves that only they can walk through. An animal of a larger size simply does not fit there. They are not afraid of either hyenas or leopards - no large predators.

Although the dik-dik is not the smallest antelope, its body length is only 45 cm, its height does not exceed 35 cm. They weigh only 2 kg, there are larger species, but their weight does not exceed 5 kg.

This animal is very similar to a funny toy. The charming image is complemented by slender thin legs, a pointed muzzle, on which a smallspout-proboscis.

Color

The small, slender body of dik-dik is painted in a light gray-brown color. The legs, muzzle and crest are yellow-brown, and the abdomen is white.

This little one impresses with her huge beautiful eyes. They are surrounded by a white border, reminiscent of fashionable eyeglass frames.

Gender differences

Females are usually larger than males, but not by much. But the representatives of the stronger sex have 10-centimeter sharp horns.

Behavior in nature

This little antelope is a territorial animal. Each pair has its own piece of land, which the male fiercely guards. The size of the territory can be up to 20 hectares. Every day, its borders are patrolled by a married couple, and sometimes cubs go on such patrol.

When marking their territory, these antelopes make a loud, whistling, shrill sound similar to "dik-dik". Hence the name of the animal.

Battles for territory are very rare and do not lead to tragedies. Usually one of the "fighters" either immediately runs away, or slowly, after unsuccessful collisions, retires into the bushes.

Also, this whistling sound is an alarm when a predator appears nearby. In an instant, the little antelopes disappear from view among the thickets of bushes.

At short distances, dik-dik accelerates to 42 km/h. This is enough to get to the saving bushes.

The animal is most active in the morning, evening and night, as it does not tolerate heat well. With the onsetduring the rainy season, when the air temperature drops slightly, they come out of hiding during the daytime.

Dicks are very trusting and curious. This has long been used by local residents who hunted these babies for the sake of the skin (gloves are made from it).

Food

What horrible dick-dick will not eat. In food, this animal is selective. Basically, their diet consists of leaves, stems, flowers, seeds and pods of trees and shrubs. They can also pinch grass, but this is not their main food. The necessary moisture is obtained from plants and morning dew. That is why they can survive even in dry areas where there are no water bodies.

Reproduction

Offspring appear after the end of the rainy season. The female carries the cub for six months. A female can have offspring twice a year - 1 cub per year.

The cub stays with its mother until the age of three months. On the parent plot, the babies stay up to 6 months, until they reach puberty.