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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing impalas. These antelopes are known for their jump. An impala can jump ten feet (3m) straight into the air when startled and clear thirty feet (9m) horizontally in a single leap. Did you know, however, that when an impala jumps like this to escape a predator, it’s actually releasing a scent trail? Impalas have black stripes on their rumps. These cover scent glands that release an odor when the impala jumps and disperses from its herd. A startled impala herd is chaotic and confusing. They all run in different directions. The scent helps them find each other again after the danger has passed!

Impalas are endemic to Africa. Their ranges extends from eastern to southern parts of the continent. Some authorities divide them into two subspecies: the common impala and the black-faced impala which is listed as vulnerable to extinction. They can be told apart from other antelopes by their distinct two tone sides and the white patches around their nose and eyes. These ungulates stand about three feet (91cm) tall at the shoulder and weigh anywhere from 90 to 165 pounds (41-75kg). Males are larger than females and have horns. An impala’s horns are ridged and reach three feet (91cm) in length on average, so they’re about as long as he is tall! Male impalas use their horns in sparring matches.

While these mammals are able to breed year round, they most often breed at the end of the rainy season. Males reach reproductive maturity around a year of age, but don’t begin breeding until around four years old. They have to earn it! During the breeding season, three distinct impala groups exist: dominant breeding males with their harem, subordinate males who aren’t defending a territory, and breeding herds of females and juveniles. Female impalas stay within their birth herd, but males are pushed out after their first year. When a male impala finds a territory he likes, he’ll defend it each year until he’s dethroned.

Impalas gestate for six and a half months and give birth as the wet season is starting. A female will remove herself from the herd to have her baby and they’ll stay separate for a few days before rejoining. The babies form their own nursery group and remain together as they grow up. This is an anti-predator defense because it makes it difficult for a predator to single out an individual. Still, impalas are taken by leopards, African wild dogs, lions, hyenas, and even baboons! If they survive, juvenile impalas are weaned at four and a half months old and the females may begin breeding the following year. In the wild, these antelope live to be 15 years old.

An impala herd can number anywhere from just a handful to over a hundred! Something cool they do is groom each other! To rid their fur of ticks and other parasites, impalas use their comb-like teeth to tend to their fellow herd members. Oxpeckers also help keep them free of unwanted pests. They live in grasslands and woods with little to no underbrush. Impalas are most active during morning and evening hours. They spend nights in open areas where they lay together and sleep. They spend the hottest parts of the day resting in the shade of trees. Like elephants, they have a diverse diet. During the dry season, they eat browse which includes twigs, bark, and sometimes fruit. During the wet season, they eat grass. They’ve even been known to enter hippo lawns to dine on the grass shoots that grow there!

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