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Dik-Dik
By Andy on 9 January 2005 the wee hoursCategory: The Boys
Dik-dik - (Madoqua) mammal who lives in dry stony lands, shrub-covered or scrubby steppes. His cry doing "zick-zick" which is how he got his name. His predators are all big carnivores and the man who appreciates his good flesh. The dik-dik feeds on fruits, leaves, buds, herbaceous plants and searches for salt with eagerness. In captivity, it dies after one week without salt. Basically, a dik-dik looks like a deer but on four legs he stands only a 2-3 feet tall. And one of his kind lives at the Fort Worth Zoo.
Why do you need to know all that? Because the dik-dik just happens to be Caleb's third animal name to say. Right behind "cat" and "bird." He's never said "dog" (although one lives in the house with him). He's never said "cow." He's never said "horse." He's never said "duck." But he knows the name "dik-dik." And he says it clearer than he's ever said "cat" or "bird." That's so Caleb. So don't think we are teaching him crude names for his anatomy. Look at the bright side, it's a good thing he doesn't attempt the word "shih-tzu" because he still hasn't quite developed a mastery over second syllables.
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