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The impala or rooibok (Aepyceros melampus, lit. 'black-footed high-horn' in Ancient Greek) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus Aepyceros , and tribe Aepycerotini , it was first described to Europeans by German zoologist Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1812.
The protection of habitat and hunting restrictions have allowed pronghorn numbers to recover to an estimated population between 500,000 and 1,000,000 since the 1930s. [2] Some recent decline has occurred in a few localized populations, [ 20 ] due to bluetongue disease which is spread from sheep, but the overall trend has been positive.
Antelope are not a cladistic or taxonomically defined group. [5] The term is used to describe all members of the family Bovidae that do not fall under the category of sheep, cattle, or goats. Usually, all species of the Antilopinae, Hippotraginae, Reduncinae, Cephalophinae, many Bovinae, the grey rhebok, and the impala are called antelope.
The actual explanation is far more interesting. Credit: Alison Buttigieg The story claims that the impala -- sometimes falsely called a deer -- sacrificed herself to the cheetahs to save her young.
Plains game is well established in literature and conversation as the sporting hunter's generic term for all those fair-game species of antelope and gazelle which are to be found - typically in rather open plains or savanna habitats - throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The term is all-embracing, unscientific, and rather imprecise.
They often occupy relatively small territories of 2.5 to 6.0 acres in size. They were once one of the most abundant antelope species of the African plains but have become scarce since 1893 due to relentless poaching for their skins and meat. Trophy hunting has helped the blesbok to survive and thrive in the areas where they are hunted legally.
In the early 1900s, "antelope" was a very broad, ambiguous name given to most hollow-horned ruminants besides oxen, sheep, and goats. Of these antelopes found in Africa, Asia, and Europe, Africa has the most diverse populations of antelopes, with horn lengths ranging from six feet long, to a quarter of an inch. [14] A. b.
The Cape bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus), also known as imbabala is a common, medium-sized bushland-dwelling, and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa. [2] [3] It is found in a wide range of habitats, such as rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaic, savanna, bushveld, and woodland. [3]