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Female Impala Escaped From A Hungry Lioness
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Only one species of impala is alive today, but several fossil species are also known, including A. datoadeni, from the Pliocene of Ethiopia.
Appearance
Impala range between 75 and 95 cm (30 and 37 in) tall. Average mass for a male impala is 40 to 80 kg (88 to 180 lb), while females weigh about 30 to 50 kg (66 to 110 lb). They are normally reddish-brown in color (hence the Afrikaans name rooibok, not to be confused with rhebok), have lighter flanks and white underbellies with a characteristic "M" marking on the rear. Males, referred to as rams, have lyre-shaped horns, which can reach up to 90 cm in length. Females, referred to as ewes, have no horns. The black impala, found in very few places in Africa, is an extremely rare type. A recessive gene causes the black coloration in these animals.
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