Dik-Diks - Habitat And Diet

Dik-diks live in arid bush country and eat a diet of fallen leaves, green leaves, and fruit. This diet is digested with the aid of microorganisms in the dik-dik's four-chambered stomach and by the regurgitation and rechewing of food (chewing the cud). Because of their small size, the dik-dik's rumination process is much faster than in larger hoofed animals. With the reduction of forest habitat in Africa over the past 12 million years, it is believed that the small size of animals like the dikdik has been favorable to their survival.

The dik-dik, like all cud-chewing animals, has a specialized jaw and tooth structure that is adaptable to its diet. The front part of the dik-dik jaw is large compared to the brain area of its skull. The jaws come together elongated, and there are no teeth at the end of the upper jaw. The overall structure functions like a shovel that can tear off great quantities of food at a fast pace and then chop it up for the rumination process.