It is easy to focus on the Big Five and miss the small animals that make a safari feel alive. One of the best is the dik-dik, a tiny antelope that is easy to overlook but charming once you notice it.
Kirk’s dik-dik
An adult stands about 35 to 45 centimetres tall and weighs roughly 3.8 to 7.2 kilograms. Females are slightly heavier than males. It lives in savanna and thicket in eastern and southwestern Africa, preferring dense cover with open ground at eye level. Its conservation status is Least Concern, though snaring for hides and bones is a threat.
Life in pairs
Dik-diks live in monogamous pairs that hold a territory together, and a pair may stay together for life. The male does most of the territory defence. Pairs mark their territory with dung and urine, and also with secretions from glands near their eyes. When a new youngster arrives, older offspring are driven out.
How to spot one
- Look under bushes and at the edge of thickets, especially in the early morning and late afternoon.
- Look for pairs, because they usually stay close.
- Stay quiet. They are shy and will bolt if startled.
Other small sightings
Guides love pointing out the small things: birds such as the lilac-breasted roller, lizards, insects and gazelles on the plains. See iconic birds of Kenya.
Slow down
If you ask your guide, they can slow down for small things. Binoculars help. Read reading tracks and signs and photography tips for more.
What it eats and drinks
Dik-diks are herbivores that eat mainly foliage, fruits, shoots and berries, and they feed by day and night. They do not depend on free water. They get fluid from their food, lick dew from their noses and produce concentrated urine and dry droppings.
Name and horns
The name comes from the alarm call, a trumpet-like zik-zik. The species name honours the Scottish naturalist John Kirk, who collected the first specimen. Only males have horns, about 7.5 centimetres long and slanting backward.
Staying cool
The dik-dik’s hairy snout holds an enlarged nasal chamber with blood vessels. Rapid panting cools that blood by evaporation while losing very little water.
Speed and predators
A dik-dik can run at up to 42 kilometres an hour and flees in a zigzag. Jackals, caracals, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, lions, pythons and crocodiles all prey on them, and baboons, genets and eagles take the young. Martial eagles are among the birds that hunt small antelope such as dik-diks. See iconic birds of a Kenya safari.
Breeding and lifespan
Most births come in November to December and April to May, in step with the rains. Gestation is about five to six months, with one young per birth. In the wild a dik-dik typically lives about five years and sometimes more than ten.
Additional detail added 5 November 2026 from Wikipedia’s Kirk’s dik-dik entry (secondary source).
Frequently asked questions
How big is a dik-dik?
About 35 to 45 centimetres tall and roughly 3.8 to 7.2 kilograms.
Do dik-diks live alone?
No. They live in monogamous pairs that hold a territory together.
Is the dik-dik endangered?
Kirk’s dik-dik is classed as Least Concern, though snaring is a threat.
Where do I look for them?
In savanna and thicket with dense cover, often under bushes.
Do dik-diks need to drink?
They do not depend on free water. They get fluid from their food and from dew.
Why is it called a dik-dik?
The name comes from its alarm call, a trumpet-like zik-zik.
Do females have horns?
No. Only males have horns.
Want help planning? Talk to our team and tell us your dates, who is travelling and what you would like to see.
Facts checked on 5 November 2026 from Wikipedia’s Kirk’s dik-dik entry (secondary source).
