# Impala (*Aepyceros melampus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/impala  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The impala (Aepyceros melampus) is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Aepycerotini, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a large, terrestrial herbivore with a cathemeral activity pattern and an adult body mass of 52.5 kg, with values up to 62.5 kg. The impala is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 52.5 kg – 62.5 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Height | 70 cm – 92 cm |
| Lifespan | 17.8 years – 25.6 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | woodland |
| Gestation | 197 days – 213 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 13 months – 15.7 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Aepyceros
- species: *Aepyceros melampus* (Lichtenstein, 1812)

Synonyms: *Aepyceros melampus johnstoni*, *Aepyceros melampus katangae*, *Aepyceros melampus melampus*, *Aepyceros melampus rendilis*, *Aepyceros melampus suara*, *Antilope melampus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is an impala?

The impala is a mammal in the family Bovidae and the order Artiodactyla. It belongs to the subfamily Antilopinae and the tribe Aepycerotini.

### How heavy is an impala?

An adult impala has a body mass of 52.5 kg, with values up to 62.5 kg reported by our sources.

### What does an impala eat?

The impala is a herbivore.

### Is the impala endangered?

No. The impala is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does an impala live?

The impala has a lifespan of 17.75 years, with values up to 25.6 years reported by our sources.

### How many young does an impala have?

An impala has 1 young per litter and 1 litter per year, after a gestation period of 196.7 days.

### When does an impala reach sexual maturity?

An impala reaches sexual maturity at 1.2 years, with reported values from 1.1 to 1.3 years.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Impala (Aepyceros melampus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/impala