Salt's dik-dik

Salt's dik-dik (''Madoqua saltiana'') is a small antelope found in semidesert, bushland, and thickets in the Horn of Africa, but marginally also in northern Kenya and eastern Sudan. It is named after Henry Salt, who was the first European to acknowledge the species in Abyssinia in the early 19th century.

Description

Salt's dik-diks are long, high, and weigh . Kingdon, J. (1997). ''The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals.'' Academic Press. As in other dik-diks, the small, pointed horns are only present in the male. Their colour varies significantly depending on the subspecies.

Taxonomy

Together with the closely related silver dik-dik, this species forms the subgenus ''Madoqua'' in the genus ''Madoqua'' (other dik-diks are also in the genus ''Madoqua'', but the subsgenus ''Rhynchotragus'').Ansell, W. F. H. (1972). Order Artiodactyla. Part 15. Pp. 1-84. ''in'': Meester, J., and H. W. Setzer, eds (1972). ''The mammals of Africa: An identification manual''Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. The taxonomy of this subgenus is complex and a matter of dispute. Today, the most widely used treatment is based on a review in 1978, Yalden, D. (1978). ''A revision of the dik-diks of the subgenus Madoqua (Madoqua).'' Monitore Zoologico Italiano, n.s. suppl. 11: 245-264. but a significantly different treatment was presented in a review in 1972. Following the review in 1978, the silver dik-dik is treated as a separate monotypic species, and Salt's dik-dik has five subspecies:

*''M. s. saltiana'' is found from northern Ethiopia to Eritrea and far eastern Sudan, and is relatively large with a reddish-grey back.
*''M. s. hararensis'' is found in the Hararghe region in eastern Ethiopia, and has a gingery back and dark red flanks.
*''M. s. lawrenci'' is found in eastern and southeastern Somalia, and has a silvery back and russet flanks.
*''M. s. phillipsi'' is found in Somaliland, and its back is grey and flanks are orange.
*''M. s. swaynei'' is found in the Jubba Valley region of southern Ethiopia, southern Somalia, and far northern Kenya; its back is brown-grey.

In 2003, each of the above was proposed to represent an evolutionary species, but at present, most maintain them as subspecies. The review in 1972 differed significantly from the above. Under that treatment, three species are recognized in the subgenus ''Madoqua'': Salt's sik-dik (''M. saltiana'' with the subspecies ''saltiana'' and ''cordeauxi''), Phillip's dik-dik (''M. phillipsi'' with the subspecies ''phillipsi'', ''gubanensis'', ''hararensis'', and ''lawrencei''), and Swayne's dik-dik (''M. swaynei'' with the subspecies ''swaynei'', ''erlangeri'', and '' piancentinii''). Of these taxa, ''M. s. cordeauxi'', ''M. p. gubanensis'', and ''M. p. erlangeri'' were considered entirely invalid in 1978.

Behavior

Salt's dik-diks are shy animals. They are active at night and dusk to avoid the midday heat, and are considered crepuscular. Dominant dik-diks flare their crests. The animals are most often found in pairs and small groups, and Salt's dik-diks mainly eat leaves and shoots of acacia trees. Due to ecological factors, Salt's dik-diks have a considerably lower basal metabolic rate than other ruminants that inhabit temperate and cold climates. Little is known of the species's reproductive behavior.

References

External links

Salt's dik-dik informationPhillip's Dik-Dik at Al Wabra Wildlife Preserve

{{Taxonbar, from=Q922138

Salt's dik-dik
Mammals of Ethiopia
Mammals of Somalia
Mammals of Djibouti
Mammals of Kenya
Mammals of Sudan
Fauna of the Horn of Africa
Salt's dik-dik