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impala
(redirected from Aepyceros)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
impala, species of antelope antelope, name applied to a large number of hoofed, ruminant mammals of the cattle family (Bovidae), which also includes the sheep and goats. The North American pronghorn is sometimes called an antelope, but belongs to a separate, related family (Antilocapridae).
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, Aepyceros melampus, closely related to the gazelle and found in the savannah and bush country of E and S Africa. It is the antelope most commonly depicted in illustrations and in motion pictures. It is about 3 ft (90 cm) high at the shoulder, with a coat of rich, reddish brown, shading to whitish on the underparts. The horns, borne only by the male, are long and curved in the shape of a lyre. Impalas are the most powerful jumpers of all antelopes; they can leap 10 ft (3 m) into the air and travel 30 ft (9 m) in a single bound. Impalas live in herds, sometimes numbering several hundred individuals; they feed on grasses and shrubs and always stay fairly near water. They are often found in association with herds of other animals, such as zebras and gnus. Impalas are still fairly numerous over most of their range. They are classified in the phylum Chordata Chordata (kôrdā`tə,–dä`–)
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, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae.

impala

Enlarge picture
Herd of male impalas (Aepyceros melampus) in Nairobi National Park, Kenya
(credit: James P. Rowan)
Swift-running, graceful antelope (Aepyceros melampus) found in large herds, usually near water, on the savannas and open woodlands of central and southern Africa. Impalas are noted for their jumping ability; when alarmed, they bound off in leaps up to 30 ft (9 m) long and 10 ft (3 m) high. Lightly built, the impala stands 30–40 in. (75–100 cm) high at the shoulder. It has a golden to reddish brown coat, white underparts, a vertical black stripe on each thigh, and a black tuft behind each hind hoof. The male has long, lyre-shaped horns.


impala
an antelope, Aepyceros melampus, of southern and eastern Africa, having lyre-shaped horns and able to move with enormous leaps when disturbed


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