The only extant member of the genus Aepyceros, and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to Europeans by German zoologist Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1812.

Browsers as well as grazers, impala feed on monocots, dicots, forbs, fruits and acacia pods (whenever available).

Calves are suckled for four to six months; young males—forced out of the all-female groups—join bachelor herds, while females may stay back.

‘high-horned’) comes from Ancient Greek αἰπύς (aipus, 'high, steep') + κέρας (keras, 'horn');[6][7] the specific name melampus (lit.

[9] A 1999 phylogenetic study by Alexandre Hassanin (of the National Centre for Scientific Research, Paris) and colleagues, based on mitochondrial and nuclear analyses, showed that the impala forms a clade with the suni (Neotragus moschatus).

[11] The following cladogram is based on the 1999 study:[10] Sheep (Ovis aries) Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus) Sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus) Bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis) Impala (Aepyceros melampus) Suni (Neotragus moschatus) Grant's gazelle (Nanger granti) Mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula) Up to six subspecies have been described, although only two are generally recognised on the basis of mitochondrial data.

[16] The oldest fossil discovered suggests its ancient ancestors were slightly smaller than the modern form, but otherwise very similar in all aspects to the latter.

Its gregarious nature, variety in diet, positive population trend, defence against ticks and symbiotic relationship with the tick-feeding oxpeckers could have played a role in preventing major changes in morphology and behaviour.

[9] The impala is a medium-sized, slender-bodied antelope, comparable to the kob, puku and Grant's gazelle in size and build.

[13][17] The glossy coat of the impala shows two-tone colouration – the reddish brown back and the tan flanks; these are in sharp contrast to the white underbelly.

[23] Distinctive of the black-faced impala is a dark stripe, on either side of the nose, that runs upward to the eyes and thins as it reaches the forehead.

[18][19] Other differences include the larger black tip on the ear, and a bushier and nearly 30% longer tail in the black-faced impala.

[13] The impala has a special dental arrangement on the front lower jaw similar to the toothcomb seen in strepsirrhine primates,[24] which is used during allogrooming to comb the fur on the head and the neck and remove ectoparasites.

A study of impala in the Serengeti National Park showed that in 94% of the males, territoriality was observed for less than four months.

[17] The impala is an important prey species for Africa's large carnivores, such as cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs (its main predator), lions, hyenas, crocodiles and pythons.

The antelope displays two characteristic leaps – it can jump up to 3 m (9.8 ft), over vegetation and even other impala, covering distances of up to 10 m (33 ft); the other type of leap involves a series of jumps in which the animal lands on its forelegs, moves its hindlegs mid-air in a kicking fashion, lands on all fours (stotting) and then rebounds.

[17] Common ixodid ticks collected from impala include Amblyomma hebraeum, Boophilus decoloratus, Hyalomma marginatum, Ixodes cavipalpus, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and R.

Impala have special adaptations for grooming, such as their characteristic dental arrangement, to manage ticks before they engorge; however, the extensive grooming needed to keep the tick load under control involves the risk of dehydration during summer, lower vigilance against predators and gradual wearing out of the teeth.

[32] Impala are symbiotically related to oxpeckers,[35] which feed on ticks from those parts of the antelope's body which the animal cannot access by itself (such as the ears, neck, eyelids, forehead and underbelly).

[41] This is probably the reason for Vale 1977 and Clausen et al 1998 only finding trace levels of feeding by Glossina (tsetse fly) upon impala.

Gonadal growth and hormone production in males begin a few months before the breeding season, resulting in greater aggressiveness and territoriality.

[17] Rutting males fight over dominance, often giving out noisy roars and chasing one another; they walk stiffly and display their neck and horns.

[52][51] On coming across such a female, the excited male begins the courtship by pursuing her, keeping a distance of 3–5 metres (9.8–16.4 ft) from her.

The male flicks his tongue and may nod vigorously; the female allows him to lick her vulva, and holds her tail to one side.

Calves are suckled for four to six months; young males, forced out of the group, join bachelor herds, while females may stay back.

[47] A study found that the reduction of woodland cover and creation of shrublands by the African bush elephants has favoured impala population by increasing the availability of more dry season browse.

Earlier, the Baikiaea woodland, which has now declined due to elephants, provided minimum browsing for impala.

[43] The historical range of the impala – spanning across southern and eastern Africa – has remained intact to a great extent, although it has disappeared from a few places, such as Burundi.

The black-faced impala is confined to southwestern Angola and Kaokoland in northwestern Namibia; the status of this subspecies has not been monitored since the 2000s.

[57][58] Around a quarter of the common impala populations occur in protected areas, such as the Okavango Delta (Botswana); Masai Mara and Kajiado (Kenya); Kruger National Park (South Africa); the Ruaha and Serengeti National Parks and Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania); Luangwa Valley (Zambia); Hwange, Sebungwe and Zambezi Valley (Zimbabwe).