Wildlife: Mammals -
Impala 1/3
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Aepyceros Melampus Melampus, Impala, Rooibok, Impala..
 Description
The most commonly seen animal in the Kruger National Park is the impala. Rich,
glossy, chestnut brown on the back and upper flanks, paler on the legs and lower
flanks. Clearly white on the underparts and buttcosk and the underside of the
tail. There is a black stripe down the top of the tail, and two black stripes
down the buttocks, separating the brown and white areas. Black tufsts just above
the ankle of the hind legs are unique to this species. The ears are relatively
large. Only the males carry horns, long and ly-reshaped, strongly ridged on the
lower two thirds. Total lenght with males can reach up to 160 centimeters and
with females up to 155 centimetres. Males have tails up to 30 centimetres in
length. Females have them up to 27 centimetres in length. Males reach a shoulder
height of 90 centimetres, females reach 85 centimetres. Males will weigh up to
63 kilogramms with women weighing up to 50 kilogramms.
Habitat
Impala need water, within Kruger National Park they will stray
up to 8 kilometres from water. They live in open bushland.
Diet
The impala is a grass eater, in Kruger National Park 90% of the
diet consists out of grasses. They will devert to other food if
necessary though. They will also eat flowers, fruids, pods,
barks and fallen leaves.
Life history
Breeding takes place when the days tend to get shorter. Usually
in the darkest period, around May in Kruger National Park, the
impala mates. Single lambs are born with 5 kilogramms of weight.
Males become sexually mature at 13 months of age but only begin
breeding at 4 years of age. Females are ready to breed at 2
years of age. They are extremely important as a food source for
predators. In Kruger National Park they provide 29% of lion
kills, 28% of leopard kills, 44% of cheetah kills, 75% of wild
dog kills and 15% of hyaena kills.
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