Salt's Dik-dik
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| Salt's Dik-dik | ||||||||||||||
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| Madoqua saltiana Desmarest, 1816 |
Salt's Dik-dik (Madoqua saltiana) is a small antelope found in semi-desert vegetation and arid thornbrush of East Africa.
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[edit] Description
[edit] Size
- Length: 45 -67 cm
- Tail Length:3-5 cm
- Shoulder height: 30- 40.5 cm
- Weight: 2-4 kg
A Salt's Dik-dik's hind legs are longer, and the neck and back are gray. The flanks are usually red. The nose is squared-off. Their spike-like horns are 7.3 - 9 cm (2 inches) long.
[edit] Subspecies
Many scientists treat Swayne's Dik-dik M. s. swaynei, Erlanger's Dik-dik M. s. erlangeri, and M. s. citernii as a full species: Madoqua swaynei, and Red-beliied Dik-dik M. s. phillipsi as Madoqua phillipsi. The Silver Dik-dik M. piacentinii was once thought to be a subspecies of Salt's dik-dik.
- Salt's Dik-dik Madoqua saltiana saltiana: reddish gray, found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Northeast Ethiopia.
- Red-bellied Dik-dik Madoqua saltiana phillipsi: reddish gray, flanks are russet orange, found in Somalia and Ethiopia, often classified as a full species.
- Lawrence's Dik-dik Madoqua saltiana lawrenci: silver gray, flanks are russet, a clear line between colors, fount in Northeast Somalia.
- Harar Dik-dik Madoqua saltiana hararensis: Gingery to reddish, found in North and Northeast Somalia.
- Swayne's Dik-dik Madoqua saltiana swaynei: Reddish, gray throat and cheek, found in Somalia, often classified as a full species.
- Erlanger's Dik-dik Madoqua saltiana erlangeri: Reddishh, found in Somalia and Ethiopia.
- Madoqua saltiana citernii: Reddish, found in Somalia and Ethiopia.
[edit] Behavior
Salt's Dik-dik are shy; they are active at night and dusk to avoid the midday heat. They are crepuscular. Dominant animals flare their crest. Often found in pairs and small groups. Salt's dik-dik mainly eat leaves and shoots of acasia trees. Not much is known about the species' reproduction behavior yet.
[edit] Habitat
Found in the evergreen and semi-deciduous bushlands and thickets in the Horn of Africa.
[edit] Distribution
Found in the Horn of Africa and Ethiopia.
