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Impala  The impala

photo by Marek PatzerImpala
Afrikaans name : 
Scientific name : family Bovidae of the order Artiodactyla / classified as Aepyceros melampus.

photo by Marek PatzerRegion : Native to the open woodlands and plains of Africa, from northern Kenya to South Africa.
Description
: a graceful antelope, chestnut-brown above and white below, with a distinguishing dark stripe on each haunch.
Habitat
: Impalas inhabit areas close to the edges of forests and water
Weight
: max. 76 kg.
Height : 1 m
Horns : Only male impalas have horns, which are long, black, and of a graceful lyre shape.
photo by Marek PatzerFood : mixed feeders, they eat plains grasses in the wet season and browsing on shrubs in the forests in the dry season. They can also be found eating the fallen red fleshly flowers of the sausage tree. 
Habits
: Impalas are gregarious moving in big herds of at least 100. Impala can leap as high as 3 m and as far as 10m. After the dry season, males compete for territory. Males without territories stay together in a bachelor herd.
Young : During the mating seasons, which occur from March to June and from September to November, groups of females enter and remain in a male's territory. They form breeding herds of 1 male and 15 / 25 females. Calving in rainy season from the end of October. Maturity on  years. Gestation period  months. Calves accompany mothers
Predators : Lion and wild dogs are their main predators, but JackalLeopards and Hyena are also a threat.

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