Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

Impala

Aepyceros melampus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It can make spectacular leaps of up to 3 metres high and 10 metres long to escape a predator.

Weight

37 kg – 80 kg

Size

up to 92 cm

Lifespan

14 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Herd

Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Fun facts

It can leap 3 metres high and 10 metres long to escape a predator.
It is one of the commonest prey animals for practically every large African carnivore.
Only the males have horns.
locomociónIt can clear more than 3 metres in height and up to 10 metres in length in a single bound to escape a predator.

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Savanna, open woodland and woodland-grassland edges of eastern and southern Africa
Birth weight: Born precocial after a rapid birth; the mother can delay giving birth by up to a month if conditions are poor
Size at birth: Born precocial
Sexual maturity: 15 months
Gestation / incubation: 6.5-7 months
Litter / clutch size: 1 young per birth