Impala

Behavior and diet

The impala is a medium-sized antelope (Aepyceros melampus) ranging between 75 and 95 cm (30 and 37 in) tall and weighing 40 – 60 kg (88 – 130 lb). Like other antelope, impalas are herbivores that are frequently found at grassland and woodland edges, usually close to water. Their coats are a red-brown color and their haunches are white with black vertical lines down them. It is these marking that earn them the nickname of the “MacDonald’s of the Serengeti,” as the lines down the thighs combined with the black line down the tail look like a capital letter M. Impalas are social creatures and travel in large herds, partly for safety in numbers. The gestation period of the impala is around 200 days and they normally give birth to a single calf.