Species profile
About the kirk’s dik-dik
Kirk's dik-dik stands about 35 centimetres at the shoulder and weighs around five kilograms. Its most striking feature is the elongated, mobile proboscis, which is threaded with blood vessels and works as a cooling radiator — the animal can pant through it to shed heat without losing much water.
Dik-diks pair for life and hold a small territory marked with pre-orbital gland secretions dabbed on twigs and with communal dung middens. Look for a pair frozen in dappled thicket beside the track, then bolting in a zig-zag with a whistled 'zik-zik' that gives the species its name.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Most active at dawn, dusk and by night. Never far from cover, and freezes before darting away in an erratic zig-zag.
Social life
Strictly monogamous pairs holding a territory of a few hectares for life, accompanied by their most recent offspring until it is driven off.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
The cooling proboscis, a tuft of hair on the crown, and a pre-orbital scent gland used to mark twig tips throughout the territory.
