I was thrilled to be able to publish this at first, thinking I had discovered something almost unheard of in the area.
Then I went back through the archives and discovered that not only has something similar been seen, but I’m pretty sure exactly the same animal was seen.
It is a female impala with what can only be described as a spectacular pair of horns!
Although James Souchon wrote about this female back in 2018 (I’m presuming it’s the same female as the horns look similar but shorter; enough time has elapsed for them to obtain their present length), this was the first time I have ever seen her. I don’t know how much local movement there is of individual impalas within the reserve, but I imagine there would have been more mention of this female if she has stayed on Londolozi the entire time. Maybe she just blends in fairly well.
Impalas are sexually dimorphic, which mean that males and female look different. Males have horns and females don’t. Males are a little bulkier, whilst ewes tend to be a bit more slender.
It is literally only at birth and for a couple of weeks thereafter – before the males’ horns start pushing through – that they are pretty indistinguishable.
What caught our attention when we saw her was twofold; her horns were a funny shape and her build didn’t fit with the usual profile of an adult ram.
We were heading back to camp at the time and hit the brakes immediately upon seeing this impala with long straight(ish) horns. Taking a closer look, we could see that the impala lacked any male genitalia, further confirming that it was a ewe.
Googling hermaphroditic impala, I wasn’t too surprised to discover a couple of other records out there, most notably from Madikwe Game Reserve and Tala Lodge in Kwazulu/Natal. If a genetic anomaly can occur in the Sabi Sand Reserve, it could certainly occur elsewhere.
Individuals like this are almost always infertile in the wild, which means that the trait won’t be passed on. Even if they were reproductively viable, it is far more likely that this is a malfunction of genetic or hormonal expression rather than a result of a recessive gene, so the condition probably isn’t inheritable.
Personally I find it interesting that this impala has survived so long, again assuming it’s the same individual from James Souchon’s Post. No that it is necessarily slower or weaker than the others, but it stands out from the crowd. It certainly did for us. An oddity in the African bush usually makes for an inviting target for predators, but it seems to be so far, so good for this ewe.
I remember James Souchon’s post. There was also a female lion with mane in Botswana a few years ago.
This is so interesting and unusual. I have seen the clip of a female Lion with a mane in Botswana, I guess anything is possible in the wild. Stay strong and live long beautiful girl. ♥️
nice work
What an unusual post -well done. People tend to overlook impalas but they are such graceful creatures
Nature and its twists always amaze. Thanks, James.
In January 2019, Jerry Hambana raised his hand, and Grant stopped as Jerry pointed out the female impala with horns. We had been riding by a herd of impala, and somehow Jerry saw this one stand out. I have a photo that looks very much like the one on your blog.
HI Pete,
It may very well be the same female. After chatting to a few of the other rangers last night it seems that a number of them have seen her around. I must have just been overlooking her all this time. Whoops!
I think it’s the same impal from 2018. If you look closely at the images from both articles, you’ll notice the same ending of the left horn. Maybe if you have a picture of her right profile… we could compare facial features (from 2018 is the right side profile). How long have the Impales been alive? And do you know of any of them who died of old age and not from predators? Best regards
She’s a beautiful animal, despite being an oddity. Thanks for the story, James.
Are you still traveling to Londolozi in April?
Can’t go in April now. We’re under a shelter-in-place order til April 7th! We’re rescheduling, though !
I’m fascinated to find that other animals than humans sometimes have offspring that are bi sexual. We see and hear about many children in the US that are born one sex but have both genes. I wouldn’t think there were many animals like this, but it is interesting. Victoria
Absolutely incredible! A few questions for you James, if it is alright. What makes them infertile? Is it the gene that causes the horn growth, or something else? Also, if it is indeed the same ewe that James had in 2018, I would assume we could expect her horns to grow at the same rate and development that rams’ horns do? Such an amazing spectacle of nature!
Hi Michael,
I’m no geneticist, but I’ll do some research and try get back to you…
Hello James,
Is she alwayes seen alone? Or is she with some other impalas? Does the females, males accept her? I hope it has only made her stronger!
Hi Ann,
She was in a big herd of other females and a couple of males…
James, what a find – a female with horns🤗
Love this story James.. thanks
To have lasted this long in the bush is amazing given how many predators there are out that at Londolozi!
Dear James. How very interesting! If I had seen her, I would have thought “male” of course – certainly from a distance. Thank you, James.
Nature and its animal inhabitants are not only beautiful, but fascinating. Just when you think you know rams from ewes, lions from lionesses…. an anomaly will be sighted. On Safari in Botswana several years ago , I viewed and photographed the famous Martina – the female lion with a mane. She was part of a pride, but never gave birth…… it’s always fascinating to see something new and continue to learn.
James, that was such a fascinating article and then I watched WE and Lauren was mentioning your post on live drive , so we all learnt about this amazing impala .
Hopefully you will have more sightings and we can keep updated about her welfare.
Are the daughters of Mapogo still alive?
Yes. They are the adult lionesses in the Mhangeni pride.
I think there might be one or two more out there as well, in different prides.