Standing no taller than a tin of baked beans, one of the world's smallest antelopes has taken her first steps at Chester Zoo under the care of a surrogate father.

Dotty, a tiny Kirk's dik-dik fawn, was born weighing just a few hundred grams. When fully grown, she'll reach just 40cm tall - making her one of the smallest antelopes on the planet.

Often found in the scrublands and mountainous regions of Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia in Africa, the species' name comes from the sharp, high-pitched "dik-dik" alarm call they make when startled, and as they dart for cover.

Shortly before her birth, Dotty's biological dad passed away of old age.

However, a new male dik-dik named Dan - who arrived from a zoo in Cumbria in February - has now stepped into the role alongside mum Chrissy.

"Dik-diks are naturally very shy animals, so for the first couple of weeks Chrissy's tiny fawn has been tucked away in a quiet, cosy den, with mum popping back to feed and check on her," said Megan Carpenter, assistant team manager of small mammals at Chester Zoo.

"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.

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

A unique feature found only in dik-diks, is how they use their elongated, flexible noses to pluck leaves directly from branches, and mark their territory using scent glands beneath their eyes and between their toes.

Chester Zoo's new arrival was born on Tuesday 17 February.