Cuteness alert! Meet Marwell Zoo's tiny new arrival
The zoo has welcomed a small antelope called a Kirk’s dik-dik
Meet Marwell Zoo's newest arrival, a tiny antelope.
The Kirk’s dik-dik calf is a sibling for Mdalasini who was born in March.
Mdalasini was the first Kirk’s dik-dik ever to have been born at the zoo near Winchester.
The newest arrival was born to mother, Caramel and father, Jos.
The youngster and its mother were initially left to bond behind the scenes but are now enjoying their habitat with the rest of the group.
The tiny antelope are native to Africa where they thrive in arid savanna habitats, riverine woodland and rocky hills.
Kirk’s dik-dik can be found in Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia.
With its large eyes and ears, the species is one of the smallest in the antelope family and are named dik-dik after the alarm call “zik-zik” they make when threatened.
They are active during the day and night, alternating between resting and feeding.
They typically seek shade during the hottest part of the day and can survive without drinking water at all.
Dik-diks have a particularly long nose which helps them keep cool in hot, arid habitats.
It enables them to effectively recycle the water most mammals lose through their lungs when breathing.
Kirk’s Dik-diks can live without drinking water, although they will drink if they have the opportunity.
They are known to run in a zig-zag pattern to avoid predators such as leopards, cheetahs, jackals, African Wild dogs, lions and eagles.
Dik-diks are known to mark their territory with a tar like substance produced by their eyes and they also scent mark using glands in their hooves.