Animal profile

Impala

Aepyceros melampus

MammaliaWoodland edge, savanna and riverine thicket close to waterLeast Concern

Field profile

The impala is a medium-sized antelope with a glossy chestnut coat, a black stripe down each haunch and lyre-shaped horns carried only by males. It is a mixed feeder, switching between grazing and browsing with the season, which underpins its abundance. It is famous for long, high leaps when alarmed.

Published field notes

2025-06-18

Impala

The impala is not a gazelle

Despite the build and the habit of bounding away from predators, the impala sits alone in its own genus and tribe. Its closest relatives are not gazelles but the larger antelopes, and only males grow horns.

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