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Suni
Afrikaans name : Soenie
Scientific name :
(neotragini moschatus) tribe (Neotragini), subfamily (Antilopinae)
Region : Eastern Africa, from Somalia in the North to
Kwazulu-Natal in the
South.
Description : The suni is a member of the neotragini tribe of
dwarf antelope. Related to the royal antelope,
grysbok, steenbok, klipspringer,
beira dik-dik and oribi.
Habitat : Savanna mosaic and thorn-bush territory hot, often waterless, regions.
Food : They eat mainly foilage, shoots herbs, seeds,
pods, and some fruits. These small antelope can be selective in their choice of
the most nutritious growth available and may survive in limited territory and on
resources too limited to support larger browsers.
Habits : They live in monogamous relationships, together
with one or two young, in territories ranging in size from 10 ha to
1km squared. The suni are most active at night. Living in the suni
cannot afford to loose water via sweating and therefore has devised a method of
evaporative cooling via nasal panting.
Young : One or two young are born. Calving season . Maturity on 1
year. Gestation period 5/7 months. Calves accompany mothers. Calves are precocious, yet
they do not accompany their mothers on foraging excursions for the first two or
three months. Fathers show a degree of parental responsiveness. Male young will eventually leave their parents
while females may stay on longer and it is possible that they will mate with
their fathers.
Predators : Leopards, Hyena,
Lion, Caracal, Jackal
and Eagles.
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