One of the world’s tiniest antelopes born in zoo – with adorable animal no bigger than a tin of beans

Last updated: 2026/04/03 at 7:25 PM

Charlie Watton

3 Min Read

Dotty, a tiny dik-dik fawn at Chester Zoo. (Jam Press/Chester Zoo)

One of the world’s tiniest antelopes has been born in a zoo, with the adorable animal no bigger than a tin of beans.

Dotty, a tiny dik-dik fawn, has melted the hearts of zookeepers due to her tiny stature.

The animal stands at just 40cm and is now being raised by a surrogate father after the dad passed away before birth.

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A new male dik-dik named Dan – who arrived from a zoo in Cumbria in February – has gently stepped into the role alongside mum Chrissy.

Dotty was welcomed into the world at Chester Zoo on 17 Feb, as reported by Whats The Jam.

A recent arrival at the zoo in Cumbria has stepped up to support mother Chrissy with raising the tiny fawn – in the form of Dan, a new male dik-dik.

A Kirk’s dik-dik is one of the tiniest species of antelope – making Dotty one of the smallest additions to the animal kingdom on the planet.

A tiny dik-dik fawn named Dotty, no bigger than a tin of beans, has been born at Chester Zoo and is being lovingly raised by her mum and a surrogate father. — Dotty, a tiny dik-dik fawn at Chester Zoo. (Jam Press/Chester Zoo)

The animals originate from the scrublands and mountainous regions of Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia, Africa.

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The ‘dik-dik’ name relates to the high pitched alarm call they make when they are startled – before darting for cover.

They uniquely make use of their elongated, flexible noses to pluck leaves directly from branches.

This feature is only found in dik-diks.

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(Jam Press/Chester Zoo)

The species mark their territory using scent glands found beneath their eyes and between their toes.

Megan Carpenter, Assistant Team Manager of Small Mammals at Chester Zoo, said: “Dik-diks are naturally very shy animals, so for the first couple of weeks Dotty has been tucked away in a quiet, cosy den, with mum popping back to feed and check on her.

“Now though, she’s beginning to find her feet and we’re seeing those lovely first steps as she heads out on her first little outdoor adventures.

“In a lovely addition to the story, we’ve also welcomed a new male dik-dik, Dan, as part of the European conservation breeding programme.

“He’s already stepped in alongside mum Chrissy to help raise the newborn and it’s wonderful to see the three of them together.”