Aepeceros melampus Shoulder height 90cm. Weight 45kg.
This slender, handsome antelope is superficially similar to the springbok, but in fact belongs to its own separate family. Chestnut in colour, and lighter underneath than above, the impala has diagnostic black-and-white stripes running down its rump and tail, and the male has large lyre-shaped horns. One of the most widespread and successful antelope species in East and southern Africa, the impala is normally seen in large herds in wooded savannah habitats. It is the most common antelope in the Luangwa Valley, and throughout much of the central and southern areas of Zambia. However, in more northerly areas, puku are sometimes more common. As expected of such a successful species, it both grazes and browses, depending on what fodder is available.