The Suni (Nesotragus moschatus ) is a small antelope. It occurs in dense underbrush from central Kenya to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Suni are around 30 to 43 centimetres (12 to 17 inches) high at the shoulder and weigh 4.5 to 5.4 kilograms (9 lb 15 oz to 11 lb 14 oz). They are usually reddish brown, darker on their back than their sides and legs. The belly, chin, throat and insides of legs are white. The nostrils are prominent red, and there are black rings around the eyes and above the hooves. Males have horns 8–13 cm (3–5 in) long, that are ridged most of their length and curve backwards close to their heads. Females do not have horns. Suni can make weak barking and whistling sounds.
Suni feed on leaves, fungi, fruits and flowers, and need almost no free water. They are shy, most active at night, and sleep during the day in a shady, sheltered area. They are social but males defend a territory of about three hectares. They scent-mark the boundaries with secretions from their preorbital glands. There may be an individual or communal dung pile on the periphery of the territory. A male usually takes one mate, but other females may share his territory. A single calf is born weighing about two pounds, after a gestation of 183 days.
Lions, birds of prey, snakes, and other meat-eaters prey on suni. For protection, they are well camouflaged in dry grass and keep very still. When a predator is almost on top of them, they spring out and bound away into the underbrush.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withSuni are small antelope that can be found only in Africa. They are usually reddish-brown, darker on their back than their sides and legs. The belly, chin, throat, and insides of the legs are white. The nostrils are prominent red, and there are black rings around the eyes and above the hooves. Only males have horns that are 8-13 cm (3-5 in) long, ridged most of their length, and curve backward close to their heads.
Suni occur from central Kenya to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. They live in forests with dense underbrush and can also be found in shrubland.
Suni are shy, most active at night, and sleep during the day in a shady, sheltered area. They are social but males defend a territory of about three hectares. They scent-mark the boundaries with secretions from their preorbital glands and there may be an individual or communal dung pile on the periphery of the territory. For protection, suni are well camouflaged in dry grass and keep very still. When a predator is almost on top of them, they spring out and bound away into the underbrush. In order to communicate with each other suni use smell and can make weak barking and whistling sounds.
Suni are herbivores (folivores, frugivores). They feed on leaves, fungi, fruits, and flowers, and do not need to drink water daily.
Suni can breed throughout the year but most births occur between November and March. A male usually takes one mate, but other females may share his territory. After the gestation of 183 days, the female gives birth to a single calf weighing about two pounds. The young remains well hidden in dense vegetation and is visited by his mother for nursing. Weaning usually occurs after 2 months of age.
The main threats to suni include poaching, habitat loss, and predation by dogs - especially in South Africa, where they are confined mainly to the northeastern KwaZulu-Natal. In some areas of their range, suni also suffer from loss of shrub cover which is caused due to increasing numbers of Nyala.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the suni is 365,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...