Impala
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? Impala Conservation status: Lower
risk
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 An Impala in
Etosha National Park, Namibia
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| Aepyceros
melampus ( Lichtenstein, 1812) |
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An impala (Aepyceros melampus Greek aipos "high" ceros "horn" + melas "black" pous "foot") is a medium-sized African antelope. The name impala comes from the Zulu language. Impalas weigh about 50 kg, are reddish-brown in colour with lighter flanks, and have white underbellies. The male has lyre-shaped horns. Impala are among the most beautiful and graceful of the antelopes. They can normally be found foraging around the Butagee of South Africa. They are among the dominant species in many savannas.
Exceedingly agile, impala are capable of leaping over 10 m in a single bound. They are gregarious creatures and are usually found in herds, often a male with many females. They are common throughout Southern Africa. Their food consists of a mixture of grasses and woody species.
Many species of predators eat impala. This fact, and the distinctive M shape on the backside gave the impala its nickname as "the McDonald's of the African plains".
