IMPALA

IMPALA


The Impala (Aepyceros melampus) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. Being the sole member of the genus Aepyceros, it was first described to European audiences by German zoologist Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1812. Two subspecies are recognised — the Common Impala and the larger and darker Black-Faced Impala.

Active mainly during the day, the Impala may be gregarious or territorial depending upon the climate and geography. The Impala feed on monocots, dicots, forbs, fruits and acacia pods.

The Impala is primarily found in woodlands but sometimes on the interface between woodlands and savannahs. It also inhabits in places close to water. While the Black-Faced Impala is confined to south-western Angola and Kaokoland in north-western Namibia, the common Impala is found widespread across its range and has been reintroduced in Gabon and southern Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the Impala as a “species of least concern”. The Black-Faced subspecies has however been classified as a “vulnerable species” with less than 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild as of 2008.


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