Suni, Oribi, And Duiker Of Kenya

Anatomically and physiologically, the small herbivores of Kenya adapt to eating plant materials. As a result of their diet, these herbivores typically have mouthparts adapted to rasping. The suni, the oribi, and the duiker are the small herbivores found in Kenya.

Suni of Kenya

Suni

With long, slender legs, Suni is a small antelope with thin built and relatively high hindquarters. Horns are short, spike-like, heavily ridged, wideset, black, and are in line with the face, but only male Suni have them.

Small colorful antelope

The body colour of a suni varies between individuals from rufous to grizzled tan-brown, with the inside surfaces of the legs and the belly being white. It has a speckled appearance that ranges from gray to rich chestnut color with a reddish tinge. The lateral sides of its body are pale. The brown head tapers sharply to a point at the muzzle. The tail is dark above and white underneath. The underparts, the chin, the insides of the legs, and the throat, are white as well. The rounded, big and thin-skinned ears appear bright pink in sunlight. The eye has a pale ring, and each leg has a ring of the black band above the hoof.

Mark my territory

In front of the eyes, a suni has long preorbital glands, which features prominently in grown-up males. A pungent smell originates from their preorbital glands. They mark their ranges with secretions from these large preorbital glands and also with dung middens. Well-trodden pathways run through each of their home range.

Constantly active antelope

A suni is busy throughout the day and night. However, they tend to be more active during dusk and dawn, as well as overnight. They are sensitive to predators. They typically freeze in position if a threat is detected. Males appear to be territorial, overlapping their areas with that of the females. There are no firm bonds between the genders. They use their sleeping spots very frequently.

Oribi of Kenya

The oribi is the only small antelope and perhaps the smallest ruminant

The oribi is the only small antelope and perhaps the smallest ruminant. It lives in small herds or pairs. The oribi has a slender body and is long-necked and long-limbed. It weighs about 14 kg and stands 76 cm high. The males have spike-like horns. Some oribis may gather on neutral ground.

Short, colorful antelope

The oribi’s color differs from one location to another. The coat is tan to reddish brown. Its underparts, rump, ear insides, and throat are white. It has a stubby black tail. There is a white line over each eye and a black glandular spot below each ear.

Fine appetizing cuisine

The oribi is dependent on high grass for cover and food, limiting its geographic range to more upper regions. When palatable green grass is unavailable, it eats foliage, forbs, and herbs. It derives enough water from its metabolic content in its stomach to be water-independent. They leave their territories to visit lawns of short grass, and mineral licks created by larger ruminants as well as post-burn flushes of vegetation during summer. When fires remove all cover, herds of up to twelve form, but lacking the cohesion of other species, the members scatter when put to flight. When flushed they run away in a zigzag manner.

Both gender characteristics

Females tend to grow slightly larger than males. Both males and females defend territories against same-gender strangers and demarcate property with dung middens. The male spends much of his time marking and patrolling the territory’s boundaries. Family members communicate using the odors from their scent glands and with different versions of the whistling alarm snort.

Traditional family structure

Although oribis live in conventional mated pairs, polygamous variations on the monogamous territorial theme do exist. Half of oribi territories may include two or more families.

Birth of newborns

Oribis give birth mostly during the rainy season. Newborns are dark and remain hidden. But they develop very rapidly, reaching the size of an adult by one year.

Duiker of Kenya

There exist 21 species of Duiker

Duiker is a small antelope that lives in the forest or the bushy areas of Kenya. There exist 21 species of them, which include the Red Duiker, the Blue Duiker, the Ader’s Duiker and the Bush Duiker. They are the most common antelopes. They occur mainly in the Shimba Hills Reserve during the afternoon and into the night. The lifespan of a duiker is 12 years.

Food for body

Duikers feed on leaves, fruits, seeds, and flowers. From time to time they eat insects, lizards, small rodents, and birds. The duiker has an arched, slender body, large ears, long hind legs with shorter front legs and is lighter in color. Their underparts are white and have a black band near their nostrils.

Different gender characteristics

The male duiker has small horns, but the female duiker does not have horns. The males stand at 50 cm and reach 18 kg while the females are 20 mm taller and weigh 21 kg. Male duikers often fight and are very territorial, chasing away strangers of the same sex, especially when they invade their zones. They live in small territories, marked with their secretions. Males and females share regions and come together when they mate. They spend their time grooming each other’s heads. Duiker courtship involves noisy and prolonged chases in the area before mating. The gestation period of the female is six months. A calf runs within hours of being born, but it tends to spend time lying hidden within foliage.

Predators

The predators of duikers are all carnivores. The duiker avoids its predators by lying motionless and quietly and then dashing away at the nick of time. They duck and dive into the bushes when in danger. It runs in a zigzag shape and uses its horns and black hooves as a defense. To warn others to danger, they issue a snort and, if caught, they bleat, attracting others to help.

5 Frequently asked questions about small herbivores of Kenya

What is a suni?

Suni is found in Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. It is an antelope that typically weighs around 20 kilograms. It stands about 50 centimeters. Suni have a distinctive patch on their belly and throat and a reddish fur. Both females and males have straight, short horns. They are lone animals that feed on shoots, fruits, and leaves. Their main predators are wild dogs, servals, and leopards.

What is an oribi?

Native to southern and eastern Africa, an oribi is an antelope species with a distinctive reddish fur typically found in grasslands and savannas and have slender long legs. The adults stand about 50cm and weigh around 15 kg. Sunis are herbivores that primarily eat grasses. They are known to make sharp, sudden turns, and can be very agile and fast when evading predators. Sunis have a whistle-like high-pithed call, which they use to communicate. Although at risk from hunting and habitat loss, they do not have any existential threat.

What is a duiker?

A duiker has unique characteristics and features and are typically elusive and shy antelopes found in Africa. They live in savannas, forests, and wooded habitats. They are herbivores that feed on fruits and plants, and are hunted by leopards, wild dogs, and hyenas, although these species of antelopes hide from them and are well-adapted to their natural surroundings. They can dart and dive to evade these carnivores through thick vegetation. Duikers are solitary animals. However, they may form small family groups or pairs. Due to hunting and habitat loss, some species are endangered or threatened. But some other species are found in protected regions, making conservation endeavours possible.

How do you identify a duiker?

Common duiker are identifiable by their slate grey colour, which in some areas varies to include shades of red and yellow. They have a tuft of dark hair between the horns, or just on the head in the case of the females as horns are absent, and a dark stripe down the centre of the face.

How does an oribi digest food?

Oribis are ruminants with a specialised digestive system that includes a four-chambered stomach. This allows them to efficiently digest plant material that is difficult to break down, such as cellulose, which is a major component of grasses. The four chambers of a ruminant’s stomach are called the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. After an oribi ingests food, it is stored in the first chamber, the rumen, where it is mixed with saliva and fermented by microbes. The partially digested food, called “cud,” is then regurgitated and re-chewed, a process known as chewing the cud. Once the cud is thoroughly chewed and broken down into smaller pieces, it is swallowed again and passes into the other chambers of the stomach for further digestion and absorption of nutrients. The reticulum acts as a filter, separating large particles from small ones, while the omasum helps to extract water and absorb nutrients. The abomasum is similar to the stomach of other animals, where acids and enzymes break down the remaining food particles.This complex digestive process allows oribis and other ruminants to extract the maximum amount of nutrition from the plant material they consume, enabling them to survive in environments where food resources may be scarce or difficult to access.

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