Madoqua kirkii
The Kirk’s Dik-dik lives in eastern and southwestern Africa. These are very shy creatures, spending much of their time hidden in bushland.
This animal eats a wide range of plants. It has hooves with rubbery bottoms, which are effective when travelling over rocky terrain. In addition, its long nose acts as a heat exchange system to cool blood travelling to the brain.
The name dik-dik is an imitation of their call of alarm. The name of the genus, Madoqua, comes from the Amharic word “medaqqwa”, meaning “small antelope”.
The picture of this Kirk’s Dik-dik was taken at the Wild Animal Park of San Diego, California, in March 2004.
Genus Madoqua
Subfamily Antilopinae
Family Bovidae
Order Artiodactyla
Subclass Eutheria
Class Mammalia
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
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