Impala

Impala, slightly built African antelope  that ranges from Kenya south to South Africa. When frightened, impalas scatter, making leaps as long as 9 m (30 ft) and as high as 3 m (10 ft), which have the effect of startling and confusing lions and wild dogs, their main predators. Only male impalas have horns, which are long, black, and of a graceful lyre shape. The impala stands 0.78 to 1 m (2.6 to 3.3 ft) high and is chestnut-brown above and white below, with a distinctive black streak on each haunch. Impalas inhabit the edges of forests within reach of water, grazing on plains grasses and browsing on shrubs in the forests, where they take refuge. During the dry season they form herds of sometimes hundreds of animals. After the dry season, males compete for territory. During the mating seasons, which occur from March to June and from September to November, groups of females enter and remain in a male's territory. Males without territories stay together in a bachelor herd.

Scientific classification: The impala belongs to the family Bovidae of the order Artiodactyla. It is classified as Aepyceros melampus.

Impala Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.