Impala - Impala (English spelling)

It is an animal of the order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae, of the class Mammalia. It is found from eastern to southern Africa, and is often found in shallow waterside forests and scrub forests such as acacia. It stands 85-100cm tall at the shoulder and weighs 60-75kg. Only males have horns, which are 50-75cm long and have segmented protuberances, and are lyre-shaped when viewed from the front. Its back is reddish brown, the lower sides pale ochre, and the underside white, with a clear boundary between the three colors. It usually lives in herds of less than 100, mainly consisting of females and calves, eating grass and leaves in the morning and evening, and resting during the day and at night. The mating season is generally at the beginning of the dry season, and from this time the herds disperse, with one male leading 15-25 females, and the males fight fiercely against each other. After a gestation period of 6-7 months, females usually give birth to one calf at the beginning of the rainy season. The calf can walk within 2-3 hours, and males begin to grow antlers in 1-2 months. When startled, they can jump 2-3 meters into the air. They are fast runners, jumping 9 meters, sometimes 12 meters, at speeds said to exceed 90 kilometers per hour.

[Tadaaki Imaizumi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

哺乳(ほにゅう)綱偶蹄(ぐうてい)目ウシ科の動物。アフリカの東部から南部にかけて分布し、水辺の浅い森林や、アカシアなどの低木林に多い。肩高85～100センチメートル、体重60～75キログラム。角(つの)は雄だけにあり、長さ50～75センチメートルで、細長く節状の隆起があり、前からみると竪琴(たてごと)形である。背面は赤茶色、側面の下部は淡い黄土色、腹面は白色で、3色の境は明瞭(めいりょう)である。普通、雌と子を中心とした100頭以下の群れで生活し、朝と夜に草や木の葉などを食べ、日中と夜半は休息する。一般に乾期の初めが交尾期で、このころから群れは分散し、1頭の雄は15～25頭の雌を従え、雄どうしは激しく闘う。妊娠期間6～7か月ののち、雨期の初めに雌は普通1子を産む。子は2、3時間後には歩き、雄では1～2か月で角が生え始める。驚くと空中に2～3メートルも跳び上がる。走るのが速く、一跳び9メートル、ときに12メートルに達し、時速90キロメートルを超すともいわれる速さで走る。

［今泉忠明］

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