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| Andrew Bachelor |
Sometimes, Impala's are seen around every corner while on game drive. Many rangers tell of guests who enthusiastically photograph Impala's on their first drive, only to ignore them by the fourth or fifth drive as they are so abundant.
Impala's are very graceful and here are a few interesting facts about them.
Impalas graze and browse, thereby maximising the availability of food
More reliant on vocal communication than most other antelope, the impala is capable of guttural grunts and roars that are easy to hear from a kilometre away.
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| Jaime Naylor |
For safety they move in herds as large as the available food will allow. They scatter in all directions if a predator should charge, leaping in strides of up to 12 meters.
Considered the "fast food" of the bush, especially with the black "M" (as in MacDonalds) on their rump.
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| PMdT Photography |
Female Impala's do not have horns, only the males have horns.
To attract a mate, the male impala's neck swells and a strong secretion covers head and neck. Both sexes have scent glands located above their rear hooves, marked by black tufts.
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| PMdT Photography |
The impala is the only hoofed animal that allogrooms - mutual grooming from one animal to another - as well as grooming itself.
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| Richard Millar |
Although its physical proportions are suggestive of a large gazelle, certain details of its anatomy and behaviour causes the impala to be classified in a group of its own. Impala’s social nature and the fact that it habituates thick bush, separate it from the gazelle.
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| Richard Millar |
A pregnant female is capable of extending her gestation period by up to 2 weeks if the start of the summer rains are late, which will result in poor grazing value and thus poor nutritional value of her milk produced
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