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
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and eastern
Sudan.
It is named after
Henry Salt, who was the first European to acknowledge the species in
Abyssinia
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...
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-dik
A dik-dik is the name for any of four species of small antelope in the genus ''Madoqua'' that live in the bushlands of eastern and southern Africa.
Dik-diks stand about at the shoulder, are long, weigh and can live for up to 10 years. Dik- ...
s, 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
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
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
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
species, and Salt's dik-dik has five subspecies:[
*''M. s. saltiana'' is found from northern ]Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
to Eritrea and far eastern Sudan, and is relatively large with a reddish-grey back.
*''M. s. hararensis'' is found in the Hararghe
Hararghe ( am, ሐረርጌ ''Harärge''; Harari: ሀረርጌይ ''Harärgeyi'', Oromo: Harargee, so, Xararge) was a province of eastern Ethiopia with its capital in Harar.
History
Hararghe translates to "land of the Hararis". The region co ...
region in eastern Ethiopia, and has a gingery back and dark red flanks.
*''M. s. lawrenci'' is found in eastern and southeastern Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, 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
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; 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
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
, ''M. s. cordeauxi'', ''M. p. gubanensis'', and ''M. p. erlangeri'' were considered entirely invalid
Invalid may refer to:
* Patient, a sick person
* one who is confined to home or bed because of illness, disability or injury (sometimes considered a politically incorrect term)
* .invalid, a top-level Internet domain not intended for real use
As t ...
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.
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