Kirk's Dik-Dik

Madoqua kirkii

General Description

Scientific Name: Madoqua kirkii

Subspecies:

M. k. kirkii,
M. k. cavendishi (Cavendishi's Dik-Dik)
M. k. damarensis (Damaraland Dik-Dik)
M. k. hindei

Other common names: just Dik-Dik

Status: Least Concern (stable)

Population Estimate: 971,000

Population in Assessed Areas: 80

Diet: Herbivore - foliage, fruits, shoots and berries

Male & Female Size: 3.8–7.2 kg. Females are 0.5–1 kg heavier than males

Trophy Size: 20.32 SCI minimum

Generation Length: Unknown

Reproductive Season: Year Round

Time of Activity: Nocturnal

Description: Kirk’s dik-dik are the largest type of dik-dik, weighing on average between 4 and 7 kilograms and standing between 35.6 and 45.7cm tall. They are sexually dimorphic: females are larger than males, and males are lighter in colour and possess horns. These are corrugated and backward-slanting, approximately 7.5 cm in length, and ending in a sharp point. Horns may be straight or curved backwards from the face.

Kirk’s dik-dik have a mobile proboscis with slit-like nostrils, where a large nasal chamber allows efficient cooling via panting. They have large ears and eyes, with prominent preorbital glands. Their thin hind limbs are longer than their forelimbs, and they have a vestigial tail and erectile head crest. The coat colouring varies from grey to greyish-brown depending on habitat, with tan flanks and limbs. They have white fur around the eyes, in the ear lining, on the underparts, and the rump.

The Kirk's dik-dik are distinguishable from the similar Guenthers' dik-dik by their shorter proboscis and more wedged-shaped profile than that of the latter.

Ecology: Kirk’s dik-dik are equipped for survival in arid bush habitat. This is facilitated by characteristics such as fluctuating body temperature, low metabolic rate, concentrated urine, dry faeces, and nocturnal activity. They also exhibit highly selective browsing on plants with high water content, such as foliage, forbs, herbs, and succulents.

Kirk's dik-dik are endemic to the savannahs of eastern and southwestern Africa. They often occur in dispersed patches due to their unique habitat requirements, resulting in discontinuous distribution. Ideal habitats have good cover but not much tall vegetation. Kirk’s dik-dik need a lot of shade and a variety of browse at their eye level. Common predators of the Kirk’s dik-dik include leopards, caracals, hyenas, and wild dogs

Behavior: Dik-diks are almost completely nocturnal, and seek shade during the daytime to avoid loss of water.. They live in monogamous pairs on territories defended by males; which they may reside within for life. Males may fight over habitat, but this is unusual. These territories may be anywhere from about 2–86 acres in size depending on resource availability. Dik-diks mark their territories with dung and urine in a ritual for maintaining pair bonds.

When they sense danger, Kirk’s dik-diks lie low and hide. If discovered, they run in a zigzag pattern until they find refuge. They use a "zik-zik" call for things such as raising the alarm and harassing predators, which is how they got their name.

Reproduction: A male will court a female by running from behind and stretching his head and neck out front. The male stands on his hind legs and waves his forelegs in the air over the female’s back to initiate copulation, which usually occurs three to five times over 9 hours.

The gestation period lasts 5 or 6 months, and females may produce as many as two calves per year (one per pregnancy). Females reach sexual maturity at age 6-8 months, and males at 8-9 months. Most young are born during November to December and April through May. After birth, fawns lie concealed from their mother for 2–3 weeks - survival rates are roughly 50%. Offspring remain with the parents until another is born, at which point the parents chase the older sibling out of their territory. It will then seek out its own territory and mate.

Conservation Analysis

Current & Historic range: Their current and historic range is split into two sub-populations. In the west, the species inhabits northern Namibia and south-western Angola, whilst in the east, the species thrives in northern Tanzania, southern, Kenya, and parts of southern Somalia and Uganda. The vast separation between these two populations indicates that sometime during a drier period, likely in the middle to late Pleistocene, this species had a larger distribution.

Current & Historic Populations: very little is known about Kirk's dik-dik populations over the past and present, due to the difficulty of counting such a small, elusive herbivore, their tendency to inhabit remote habitat, and the lack of research attention they've received over more charismatic fauna. Current population estimations over around 991,000 may be significantly larger or smaller, as current estimates were created by surveying a small area of their range, and estimating their total population based off that.

Threats to Species Survival: Humans are the greatest threat to dik-diks, which are sometimes hunted for their hides and bones, often using snares. The bones from their legs and feet are used in traditional jewelry, while their hides are fashioned into suede gloves. An entire dik-dik hide is required to produce a single glove. That being said, Dik-diks also benefit from the destruction of vegetation via human-mediated slash-and-burn agriculture that results in the subsequent secondary growth of shrubs that serve as a food source and place of refuge for dik-diks. The IUCN Redlist lists Kirk's dik-dik as "Least Concern".

Map of Kirks Dik-Dik Distribution

Recommended Conservation Actions:

Increased protection from development and poaching in populations close to human settlements.
Increased regulation around the trade of Dik-Dik body parts, whilst still allowing cultural use in local communities
Increase surveying capabilities of most of it's populations, especially outside of protected areas, where much about the status of this species is unknown.

Economic & Cultural Analysis

Ecotourism Value: Low

Hunting Value: High

Meat Value: Low-Moderate

Average Trophy Value: $1800-2,500 USD

Meat Yield per Animal: 1.5-3 kg

Economic Value/Impacts: Kirk's Dik-Dik have significant economic value for an animal of their size, but it is less valuable than other more larger herbivores they share habitat with. Locals will hunt this species on occasion for meat, though other small antelope like Steenbok or Common Duiker are more common quarry. Cape Grysbok also have significant value to international trophy hunters. It's a key member of the "Tiny 10" slam, and one of the most difficult to hunt. Their nocturnal nature means many have to be harvested during the night, something very difficult to do. Their price is one of the highest of all the Tiny 10, often being over $2,500 USD per animal.

Their value to ecotourism areas is significantly less, as their small size and reclusive nature means they often aren't noticed, and if they are, they're often overshadowed by more charismatic megafauna.

Cultural Value: Kirk's Dik-Dik have likely been hunted by humans and our earlier Homo ancestors for millions of years, due to their small size, lack of defenses, and palatability. Their meat is said to be similar in taste to other antelope species, being very low in fat compared to domestic meats. Their hide and bones also have significant roles in local cultures around southern and eastern Africa, as elements in traditional medicine and jewelry.

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