With the lambing season of impalas behind us, and the gregarious and abundant impala herds now roaming the lush landscape around us, one can’t help but marvel in the copious numbers of this one particular species we see here at Londolozi.
The success of this antelope – a species that is so vulnerable to predation from most carnivorous mammals – is often something that comes up in conversation while on game drive.
Impala have a widespread distrbution across many of Africa’s savannas and wilderness areas. Usually dependent on living near water, these animals tend to have an irregular and clumped distribution, yet thrive and dominate in these chosen habitats.
As a mixed-feeding antelope, impala are adaptable to graze when the grasses are growing and browse on foliage, herbs and plants when the grasses are dry. Their ability to adjust their diet according to what is prevalent in a given geographical location is a major contributing factor to the success of their species.
However, in addition to having a flexibility of diet, another factor making them by far the most prevalent antelope species at Londolozi, and the Kruger National Park, is their breeding strategy and synchronized birthing.
From November last year until now, it is always a great time to watch impala lambs run around amongst their mothers, and watch how the herds double in size.
What proportion of impala survive to adulthood?
I often like to explain the success of impalas’ breeding strategy with an economic analogy. And it got me thinking… how many impala in fact make it to one year old and survive to adulthood?
Impala lambs become easy pickings for the leopards of Londolozi.
![Wild Dogs Feeding On Impala Lamb (7) [rcb]](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/26085741/Wild-Dogs-Feeding-on-Impala-Lamb-7-RCB-1598x1065.jpg)
Impala make up roughly 70% of a wild dog’s diet.
A market equilibrium is a state in which all variable forces remain unchanged from their most natural state in the absence of external influences. A point of equilibrium represents a theoretical state of balance.
In the wilderness areas around us, this is essentially when each and every species separately thrives in its own niched way while fitting into a greater web of species that make up that environment (or ‘market’).
By impala flooding the market with supply, and being the only variable to drastically increase supply in a very short space of time, the respective demand factors (i.e. all of the carnivorous mammals preying on impala) remain largely unchanged. This means that even though impalas become incredibly vulnerable to predation and ‘easy picking’ during this time given the vulnerability of the herds with many lambs, essentially the demand from the hungry stomachs of the predators remains the same. Predators can only eat so much so often. And this is where the question lies… After the flood in supply, how many lambs in fact reach independence?
Without finding any scientific or experimental evidence-based testing, it is generally understood that around 50% of them make it to breeding age. A 50% survival rate is not a bad statistic!
However, from many chats with my fellow guides and the Londolozi Trackers, the general feeling from witnessing many lambing seasons in this area is the belief that this statistic may in fact be even higher and sit around a 60% – 70% survival rate.
Working as a herd, aggregating their eyesight and hearing to be aware of their surroundings for potential predators, these impalas fixate their gaze towards a leopard walking past them not too far away.
Impossible to say for sure, but for a species that has virtually remained unchanged for an estimated 5 million years, their evolutionary ingenuity is something to be admired – especially considering their daily risks of predation!
Brilliant strategy i would say! Numbers do matter
Thanks for this interesting blog, Kate.
Though one sees impalas so often on a safari, their beauty and grace is always enchanting. And seeing a big herd moving through the high grasses at Londolozi is such a beautiful and peaceful sight.
Great that there chances of survival and even growth of numbers is so good there.
Incredible symmetry of the herd watching by Kate Arthur
It’s amazing to imagine the success rate of impalas reaching breeding age to be as high as 70% Kate!! Truly a testament to their durability as a species. Beautiful images as well!!!
They’re such beautiful creatures… evolution made them so, and it’s a pleasure to see them. They can’t escape wild dogs when running, what if they freeze among green bushes? Some antelope do that. The picture of the dogs tearing the lamb apart is so sad even if it’s natural. Escaping big cats is easier but with cheetah, that have a high success in catching antelopes. Thank you for talking of these fascinating animals
The impala lambs are so beautiful and agile and love playing with each other. They also group together and run about making as if they are doing races. Many predators kill the lambs which is very sad, but then that is also nature’s way of keeping the numbers of impala in check. Good to know that more than half of the lambs that are born survive to adulthood.
Kate, thank you for your insights on the impala.
This is a wonderful report Kate referencing the success rate of the Impala lambs each season. I was surprised to read that the trackers believe the success rate for lambs to reach adulthood is more like 60-70% as I had believed it was lower. I hadn’t factored in the sheer number of lambs born each year vs the number of predators. Considering the leopard, lion, cheetah, wild dog and hyena populations, it does make sense that more lambs will survive, than not. Thanks Kate!
Thanks for the interesting post Kate, it is amazing how the herds seem to have the ability to maintain. We wonder how many of them die from old age??