00:00:06: In two thousand and three I was traveling in southern Africa for the first time.

00:00:10: I drove into The famous Kruger National Park, in a rental car.

00:00:13: after just Three hundred meters on the left side of the road.

00:00:16: i can still remember it exactly.

00:00:18: there stood an impala antelope my very First wildlife sighting in africa ever Impala.

00:00:24: you see them so often On safari that at some point You don't even really look At them anymore?

00:00:30: I am the safari guide.

00:00:32: My name is frank.

00:00:33: today i'm talking about the impala.

00:00:36: Strictly speaking, the impala is its own genus and within it there's only one living species today – The Impala itself.

00:00:44: And with this species a distinction was made between two subspecies–the common impala and black-faced impala.

00:00:51: These subspecities emerged due to geographical separation.

00:00:54: Over long periods of time animals adapted into different habitats.

00:00:59: This resulted in small differences in appearance especially in coloration.

00:01:03: Nevertheless they are not separate species.

00:01:05: They can mate with each other and produce fertile offspring.

00:01:09: The common impala is widely distributed in southern and eastern Africa, the black-faced Impala is found primarily in northern Namibia and southwestern Angola.

00:01:18: it Can be recognized by the black stripe along the bridge of the nose dark spots under the eyes And more black on the tips of the ears.

00:01:26: It appears darker overall also somewhat larger and heavier and it has a bushier tail With a white underside.

00:01:33: Yes, to keep things clear in this episode I will simply refer it as the Impala from now on.

00:01:40: Today this refers to common impala and that is also most common one.

00:01:45: The Impala lives a world full of enemies.

00:01:48: It must be constantly vigilant Eating drinking fleeing fighting grooming communicating and reproducing And does all these with incredible elegance!

00:01:59: The Impalas has very beautiful reddish brown coat.

00:02:03: On the back it is darker and more intensely colored, almost chestnut brown.

00:02:08: On the sides the colors become lighter – more yellowish-brown–and towards the bottom it transitions into a clear white.

00:02:14: The belly, chest, throat & chin as well as inside of legs are light to white.

00:02:19: You can also see light areas around eyes and on lips The markings in the hindquarters particularly striking.

00:02:26: There black stripes sit on a light background.

00:02:29: The tail also bears a black line, and above the hooves on their hind legs there are tufts of black hair.

00:02:35: I find the animal's overall coloration really beautiful –and it is also useful!

00:02:40: Darker on top, lighter at bottom….

00:02:42: this is called countershading.

00:02:45: When light falls from above ,the upper side of her body is normally lighter & underside darker.

00:02:50: With the Impala its exactly opposite which makes the animal appear flatter to predator less three-dimensional.

00:02:57: So camouflage doesn't always mean being green like a bush.

00:03:01: Camouflage can also mean manipulating light and shadow.

00:03:05: And another thing, on cool mornings the fur looks duller and darker.

00:03:09: The impalas then raise their hair.

00:03:11: This is called pylorection.

00:03:14: You can compare that to our goose bumps.

00:03:16: Between raised hairs an insulating layer of air is created.

00:03:20: It's warmed by animals own body.

00:03:22: so an impala look different in morning than it does at noon Not just because of the light, but also because its own reaction to the cold.

00:03:31: And how do I distinguish between females and males?

00:03:35: Yes quite simply only the males have horns.

00:03:38: they are liar-shaped.

00:03:39: in The lower area They are heavily ridged and they tapered to a point at the top and on a fully grown ram.

00:03:46: they grow To be between fifty and seventy five centimeters long.

00:03:50: Females weigh about forty to fifty kilograms, males a bit more around sixty-five to seventy five kilograms and the shoulder height is between seventy-five and ninety centimeters.

00:04:02: The black lines on the hindquarters are particularly striking.

00:04:06: they're immediately noticeable from behind Black lines on white background.

00:04:11: It's assumed that these stripes follow me signal sign for other common impala.

00:04:17: When a herd flees, meaning when chaos ensues these conspicuous markings help them to follow the others and that can be vital for survival.

00:04:26: A single common impala is easy for a predator to catch but an animal in the middle of a fleeing herd is much harder.

00:04:33: And with that we have arrived at the central theme In The Life Of An Common Impala Safety!

00:04:39: Common Impalas Live In A World Full Of Predators lions, leopards cheetahs wild dogs spotted hyenas jackals caracals pythons and crocodiles.

00:04:49: For young lambs even large birds of prey and baboons are a danger.

00:04:53: in Kruger national park the impala is particularly numerous.

00:04:56: it Is a constantly available food source for predators And therefore vigilance is vital for survival.

00:05:02: and The Impala has large ears and hears very well and It has very good eyes.

00:05:07: They are on the sides of its head giving it a very wide field of vision and it has a keen sense of smell.

00:05:14: When the herd is feeding, almost always some animal has its head up... ...some are grazing while another is watching!

00:05:21: And then this animal lowers its head….

00:05:23: …and another one lifts his own.

00:05:26: Many eyes simply see more….many ears hear more and yes many noses smell more.. ..when an impala notices something suspicious It lets out loud nasal snort.

00:05:36: This is an alarm signal for the whole herd and all heads go up, All ears are pricked.

00:05:40: And for a moment everything stands still!

00:05:44: When danger gets too close The herd literally explodes.

00:05:48: An impala can reach up to sixty kilometers while fleeing.

00:05:52: On top of that it makes massive leaps Up three meters high and up twelve meters long.

00:05:58: It dodges at lightning speed.

00:06:00: Six eggs also jumps over obstacles.

00:06:02: When a herd is surprised from short distance, sudden confusion of leaps and changes in direction ensues.

00:06:08: For predator that's really difficult!

00:06:11: It has to select the single target... ...and stick with it.

00:06:14: And that becomes difficult when bodies are leaping in all directions everywhere.

00:06:18: The escape is fast and chaotic.. ..and precisely this chaos can save lives.

00:06:24: What does an impala feed on?

00:06:26: Impalas are mixed feeders.

00:06:28: That means they eat grass & leaves.

00:06:31: One reason for their success.

00:06:33: Many antelopes are more specialized, either pure grazers or pure browsers.

00:06:37: The impala can do both.

00:06:39: Grass especially short green grass leaves from trees and shrubs also flowers fruits acacia pods herbs And even succulents.

00:06:47: all of this is on their menu.

00:06:49: In the summer when fresh grass is rich in protein.

00:06:52: They graze more.

00:06:53: in the winter they eat more leaves.

00:06:55: an animal that can only use one food source Is heavily dependent on specific conditions?

00:07:00: The common impala has adapted and eats.

00:07:02: both Impalas prefer open savanna landscapes with trees and bushes.

00:07:09: They move through habitats, with many ticks in parasites.

00:07:13: For an animal of this size blood loss due to ticks can be a serious health issue.

00:07:18: So common impala do something about it And they so very extensively.

00:07:22: They spend more time grooming than any other antelope.

00:07:25: When grooming the use their lower incisors like a comb.

00:07:29: The run them thru there fur To remove dirt, ticks or other parasite And that is one of the reasons why impalas look so well groomed.

00:07:37: Their coat is shiny and really beautiful!

00:07:40: The coat is a sign of intensive hygiene, and this hygiene is vital for survival because ticks are not just annoying they can cause blood loss transmit diseases... ...and thus weaken an animal.

00:07:52: They have hard time reaching their own head neck & nape.. ..that's where mutual grooming helps.

00:07:58: One impala grooms another and the grooming is reciprocated.

00:08:03: Now let's move on to the topic of The Rut, which is particularly fascinating in this antelope.

00:08:09: Impalas have a short intense mating season.

00:08:12: In the Kruger National Park for example... ...the peak isn't May – when winter begins….

00:08:16: …the trigger is change-in day length As days get shorter.. ..the testosterone levels in males rise and bachelor herds then break up.

00:08:25: Bucks become more aggressive.

00:08:27: They call they fight and begin establish territories.

00:08:31: A territorial buck wants to hold a good territory with food and access to water, because that is exactly what attracts females.

00:08:39: He also marks his territory with urine and dung on middens.

00:08:43: This is the kind of information center Because females also deposit their dung pellets there.

00:08:49: In addition The buck rubs its forehead against grass and branches.

00:08:54: That's where scent glands are located.

00:08:55: These are used for marking The bug patrols.

00:09:00: He roars, he snorts and threatens... ...and he chases away intruders!

00:09:05: This roaring can be truly

00:09:06: impressive!".

00:09:07: When I heard the roar of an Impala Bug for first time….

00:09:10: …I thought a lion was

00:09:11: nearby.".

00:09:13: Here is sound recording.

00:09:24: When you hear that specific distinct sound echoing through the space, it is not just random noise.

00:09:29: It carries a very clear and intentional message... ...it's a signal designed to cut through silence effectively communicating a simple yet profound statement to anyone within earshot.

00:09:38: Essentially The Sound is way of saying I am here serving as reliable beacon of presence That lets know exactly where someone located.

00:09:45: at this moment.

00:09:47: This is my territory.

00:09:48: You stay away And there are also often fierce fighting among them.

00:09:53: Bugs lock their horns and push against each other.

00:09:56: The ridges on the horns prevent them from slipping, And the forehead neck and shoulders are also protected by thickened skin... ...and yet fights can become dangerous.

00:10:07: In some cases they even end fatally But most of the time the fights are short.

00:10:12: Often it is more of a ritual.

00:10:15: It's about strength its about stamina an endurance and Stamina is simply everything.

00:10:20: during the rut A territorial buck hardly has any time to eat.

00:10:25: He chases away rivals, he herds females together.

00:10:28: It's also interesting that territorial males hardly have anytime for grooming during the rut.

00:10:33: As a result significantly more ticks accumulate on them than other members of their herd.

00:10:39: And then you often see oxpeckers in these bucks.

00:10:41: These are small birds that sit on large mammals, antelopes, buffalos and giraffes or rhinoceroses.

00:10:49: They search the fur for ticks, parasites and small skin debris.

00:10:53: For The Buck this is now a welcome help to get rid of the ticks.

00:10:57: By the way common impala are among the smallest antelopes that regularly tolerate these birds on their backs.

00:11:04: At the peak of the rut A buck can hold its territory for about seven or eight days.

00:11:09: then he is exhausted.

00:11:11: He has hardly eaten anything in the last few days And has lost several kilos of body weight.

00:11:16: A fresh male then displaces him, yes and the process starts all over again.

00:11:22: And that has an important effect!

00:11:24: Different males get to reproduce.

00:11:26: This promotes genetic diversity.

00:11:30: If many females mate within a short time window Many lambs will also be born later in a short period of time.

00:11:36: In Kruger National Park The lambing season begins around the end of November beginning of December.

00:11:42: It's about three weeks during which most of the lambs are born And suddenly there are a great many newborn common impala.

00:11:48: Yes, and that is a feast for predators!

00:11:51: But that's exactly their strategy... There're so many of them the Predators cannot eat all them.

00:11:58: This called predator satiation.. There'e so many lambs in such short time That while they do eat animals They by no means eat them ALL.

00:12:07: By the way A lamb weighs about five kilograms at birth.

00:12:11: It initially stays hidden for one to two days.

00:12:13: Later, it joins the herd together with its mother.

00:12:16: At the beginning, the lamb stays close to her.

00:12:19: When it becomes stronger and more agile It mixes more and more With other young animals.

00:12:25: However, it continues to be suckled by Its Mother But Spends increasingly More time in The group.

00:12:32: The female Young usually stay In the Herd Into which they were born.

00:12:36: Life looks different for young males.

00:12:38: When they get older and the next mating season approaches, They are driven out of their herd by territorial bucks.

00:12:45: Then they join bachelor groups And live there for a few years, grow up become stronger gain experience when strong enough later try to conquer territory mate with females.

00:12:59: By the way The scientific name of the Impala means Antelope.

00:13:03: With high horns and black feet.

00:13:06: The Impala actually has black tufts of hair on its hind legs.

00:13:09: They are located above the hooves Beneath them, our glands so-called metatarsal glands.

00:13:15: their function Has not been fully understood to this day.

00:13:19: It is suspected and I read This very often that when jumping a cheese smelling substance Is activated?

00:13:24: And the impala then leaves ascent trail.

00:13:26: This could help the herd find each other again after fleeing but Ascent trail in the air would actually be blown away by a light breeze.

00:13:36: Yes, so the exact function of these glands remains unclear and These are exactly the kind of details.

00:13:42: I love.

00:13:43: on safari you look at a seemingly completely familiar animal And suddenly a question arises Not everything in nature has been fully explained yes, and that is good and also nice that way.