Pigmy Antelopes

Pigmy Antelopes 

(Neotragini), mammals of the familyBovidae of the order Artiodactyla, closely related to the gazelles.Most pigmy antelopes are small animals, some being no largerthan hares, with a height at the shoulder not exceeding 25 cm.Their slender legs have either two or four hooves. The head hasa short narrow snout. The horns, which usually are found onlyon the male, are short and straight. The coloration is variousshades of reddish brown. There are five genera: Neotragus, Ourebia (the oribi), Raphicerus (the steenbok), Madoqua (thedik-dik), and Oreotragus (the klipspringer). Pigmy antelopes aredistributed in sub-Saharan Africa, dwelling chiefly in forests, brush thickets, or high grasses. The klipspringer (Oreotragusoreotragus) and some of the dik-dik species live in mountainousterrain. The animals feed on, leaves, fruit, and grass. Pigmyantelopes have no economic significance.