I know that this is from 2013, but I found this article quite fascinating and worthy of sharing here.
"Working to save the mystery antelope that’s little bigger than a pet cat
Little is known about the silver dik-dik (Madoqua piacentinii) population that roams the dense coastal bushlands of eastern Africa, but experts are working to learn more about the mysterious species.
Weighing little more than a domestic cat, the small antelopes are found in a long, narrow coastal strip spreading across 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu north to the port town of Hobyo. This coastal strip is known as the Hobyo Grassland and Shrubland eco-region, according to the WWF.
The eco-region features white and orange sand dunes and endemic species of birds, mammals and reptiles, but political instability has left this area largely unexplored by scientists. Of the four recognized dik-dik species scientists understand silver dik-diks the least.
“We know very little about the actual silver dik-dik distribution in the Horn of Africa,” Giovanni G. Bellani told mongabay.com. As a natural scientist, Bellani studies the zoology and biodiversity of tropical ecosystems, particularly in Africa. “We do not know its ecology, its behavior or its biology.”
Working to save the mystery antelope that’s little bigger than a pet cat (photos)
"Working to save the mystery antelope that’s little bigger than a pet cat
Little is known about the silver dik-dik (Madoqua piacentinii) population that roams the dense coastal bushlands of eastern Africa, but experts are working to learn more about the mysterious species.
Weighing little more than a domestic cat, the small antelopes are found in a long, narrow coastal strip spreading across 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu north to the port town of Hobyo. This coastal strip is known as the Hobyo Grassland and Shrubland eco-region, according to the WWF.
The eco-region features white and orange sand dunes and endemic species of birds, mammals and reptiles, but political instability has left this area largely unexplored by scientists. Of the four recognized dik-dik species scientists understand silver dik-diks the least.
“We know very little about the actual silver dik-dik distribution in the Horn of Africa,” Giovanni G. Bellani told mongabay.com. As a natural scientist, Bellani studies the zoology and biodiversity of tropical ecosystems, particularly in Africa. “We do not know its ecology, its behavior or its biology.”
Working to save the mystery antelope that’s little bigger than a pet cat (photos)