Edinburgh Zoo share first photo of new baby Kirk’s dik-dik calf born at the wildlife charity

A tiny new arrival has been welcomed to Edinburgh Zoo
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Edinburgh Zoo has shared the first photos of a newborn Kirk’s dik-dik calf.

The baby was born at the zoo to mum Noodle and dad Drax. Keepers have chosen a floral-inspired name for the female youngster, who is called Petal. Visitors to Edinburgh Zoo can now spot her exploring the African Aviary enclosure with her mum by her side.

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The zoo is now home to five Kirk’s dik-diks. The species are one of the smallest types of antelope in the world and are native to the grasslands of Eastern Africa. As a newborn, Petal is tiny, but even adults dik-dik’s only grow to a height of 40cm. The species get its name from the unique ‘dik-dik’ sound the animals make when afraid. When startled, Dik-dik's jump out from their hiding place and run in a series of zig-zag leaps, while making this call, to confuse predators.

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