Suni

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Species of antelope

title: "Suni" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["dwarf-antelopes", "mammals-of-kenya", "mammals-of-south-africa", "fauna-of-east-africa", "mammals-of-zimbabwe", "mammals-of-malawi", "mammals-of-mozambique", "mammals-of-tanzania", "mammals-described-in-1846"] description: "Species of antelope" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suni" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of antelope ::

::callout[type=note] the animal species ::

| name = Suni | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | image = Suni in Karura Forest.jpg | image_caption = Male | image2 = Suni 3.jpg | image2_caption = Female | genus = Nesotragus | species = moschatus | authority = (Von Dueben, 1846) | synonyms = *Neotragus moschatus | range_map = Nesotragus moschatus distribution map.jpg

The suni (Nesotragus moschatus) is a small antelope of the family Bovidae, and one of the smallest ungulates on earth. It occurs in dense underbrush from central Kenya to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It is also found on the island of Zanzibar off of Tanzania.

Suni are around 30 to high at the shoulder and weigh 4.5 to. 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 - 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.

Felids, raptors, 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.

Taxonomy and etymology

The scientific name of the suni is Nesotragus moschatus; the species is in the genus Nesotragus, formerly with the Bates' pygmy antelope (Nesotragus batesi). The common name suni () is the Swahili name for this antelope in southeastern Africa. Four subspecies are identified, though these are sometimes considered to be independent species:

Description

The suni is a small antelope, but larger than the other two species of its genus. This antelope resembles Bates's pygmy antelope in terms of cranial measurements.

Horns are present only on males; sexual dimorphism in the suni is less marked than in Bates's pygmy antelope.

Threats and conservation

Populations of the suni have been notably reduced due to poaching, habitat loss and predation by dogs - especially in South Africa, where it is confined mainly to the northeastern KwaZulu-Natal. Nevertheless, the antelope is known for its tolerance to heavy hunting pressure, and is listed as a species of Least Concern.

References

References

  1. IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group. (2016). "''Nesotragus moschatus''".
  2. "Observations - iNaturalist".
  3. {{MerriamWebsterDictionary. Suni
  4. {{ITIS
  5. (2011). "Ungulate Taxonomy". Johns Hopkins University Press.
  6. "Observations - iNaturalist".
  7. "Observations - iNaturalist".
  8. "Observations - iNaturalist".
  9. (2016). "Bovids of the World: Antelopes, Gazelles, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Relatives". Princeton University Press.

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dwarf-antelopesmammals-of-kenyamammals-of-south-africafauna-of-east-africamammals-of-zimbabwemammals-of-malawimammals-of-mozambiquemammals-of-tanzaniamammals-described-in-1846