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Ramona requested a dik-dik drawing, and I believe Carlos did, too. Dik-diks are the world’s smallest antelopes. There are several species of them; this one was named for Sir John Kirk, a 19th-century British diplomat in Zanzibar. The dik-dik part of the name is an onomatopoetic word for the animal’s whistle of fear. Dik-diks, which top out at 12 or 13 pounds and live in arid African bush country, remind me of Italian greyhounds.
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Actually, the royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus) is the world’s smallest horned ungulate, toppping out at 1.4-2.8kg, and a shoulder height of 20-28cm (Stuart and Stuart, 2000). But, props nonetheless for calling attention to a dik-dik. And a lovely drawing besides.
Katie
Rats, it seems Mammals: Their Latin Names Explained led me astray! Thanks for the correction, Katie. I look forward to drawing the royal antelope someday.