Facts about Impalas
Facts about Impalas: Impala is an amazing type of antelopes that look similar to a goat and a deer and they have long legs, necks, and twisted horns and it is medium-sized antelope. However, impalas give birth at around midday as this is the safest time to give birth when their enemies are resting. This is because half of newborn are killed by the big cats “predators” within the first few weeks of life. And here in Uganda impala are commonly seen in Lake Mburo national park which is located in the south-western part of Uganda, approximately 240 kilometers from west of Kampala city to the main destination. The name Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, was derived from the word impalas.
Key Facts About Impalas
The male impalas are known as rams while females are referred to as ewe and have no horns. Male impala has ringed horned, raising up to 75cm long and they can take many years to make a full length, that’s why young animals are unlikely to create a dominant position and breeding territory.
The impala is one of the most seen animals and most graceful mammal on earth. They are agile creatures and have clear formidable obstacles, these creatures can run at speed faster than 60kilomters. Note that, they are fleet runners who leap up to 10m in length and 3m in height. They use such speed in order to avoid predations and seemingly for pure interest.
The male impalas produce ascent from a gland on their foreheads to make known status to rivals. When it comes to losing its rank, it just produces less ascent “male” Male impalas are good for protecting their territory all around the mating season while using their antlers as weapons.
Most of the young impala are born around mid-day since this is the safest time for them to give birth when their enemies as resting, Perhaps, half of new born are killed by the predators within the first few weeks of them giving birth.
Due to weather changes, mothers can take long without giving birth like a month and this occurs because of the harsh in weather condition like in wet season. The impala sex ratio weighs in favour of the female, with twice as many females born per year.
The impalas can lower their chances of attack when living in large herds. When they get attacks, they just leap and scatter in all directions in order to confuse the predators.
Impala like drinking water on daily basis and the water hole they go to, is known of predators which frequently lie in waiting to attack the impalas and such predators include lions. Due to that incident impala often drink water during the hottest part of the day when the predators are at their most sluggish.
The female impalas form a herd of up to 100 individuals whereas males live in a group of about 60 animals. Where they occupy a large range and make seasonal movements from high to lower ground according to the availability of suitable food.
Impalas are being eaten by predators such as lions, leopards, and cheetahs but they are constantly alert to danger and have an active sense of hearing, sight, and smell. They can let out a scent from their glands on their heels, which is a sign of togetherness. This is done by performing a high kick of their hind legs.
Impalas weigh around 40 to 75 kilometers and grow up 33 to 39 inches long by adulthood and come up with the chest of an average-sized adult man.
The impalas are native of Africa and can be found in Uganda’s national parks, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Namibia many more. They live in woodland with little grass and low to medium-high grassland.
They are herbivores which means they only eat vegetation and their diet consist of leaves, wood, bark and stems.
