What Eats Impalas? Predators of Africa's Common Antelope

Why are impalas such common prey?

The impala is the perfect size for many hunters. Adults weigh 40–76 kg (88–168 lb), large enough to feed a predator well but small enough to bring down without great risk. Impalas are also very abundant, with a total population estimated at around two million, and they live in open woodland where many predators also hunt.

Unlike buffalo or giraffes, impalas have no real way to fight back. Males have sharp horns but use them mainly against each other. An impala’s defense is to see danger first and run.

The big cats: leopards, lions and cheetahs

Leopards

The leopard is one of the impala’s most important predators. In many parks of southern Africa, impalas are the leopard’s most common prey, and leopards often haul an impala carcass up into a tree to keep it away from lions and hyenas.

Leopards hunt alone, mostly at night or at dusk. They stalk slowly through cover to within a few meters, then rush and seize the impala by the throat or neck. Because the attack depends on surprise, an impala that spots a leopard and snorts the alarm has usually won. For more on this cat’s diet, see What do leopards eat?.

Lions

Lions eat impalas but generally prefer bigger prey such as wildebeest, zebra and buffalo, which provide far more meat for a whole pride. Where impalas are abundant, lions kill them often, especially single lions or young males without a pride. Lions rely on stalking and ambush, usually ending with a short rush.

Cheetahs

The cheetah is a daytime specialist in medium-sized antelope, and impalas are among its regular prey, especially in southern Africa. A cheetah stalks as close as it can, often to within 100 m (330 ft), and then sprints. The impala’s sudden turns and leaps can make a cheetah overshoot, so many chases fail within seconds.

Pack hunters: African wild dogs and spotted hyenas

African wild dogs

African wild dogs are pack hunters, and in places such as Kruger National Park and the Selous region of Tanzania, impalas are their main prey. A pack of wild dogs chases its prey in the open over long distances, taking turns at the front, until the impala tires.

Wild dogs are known for a high hunting success rate compared with most large predators. Leaping and scattering helps impalas against a single chaser, but it is less effective against a pack that can follow several animals at once.

Spotted hyenas

Spotted hyenas both hunt and scavenge. They chase impalas in groups, often at night, and also steal impala kills from cheetahs, wild dogs and even leopards if the leopard has not yet carried the carcass up a tree.

Crocodiles and pythons

Impalas need to drink, and that brings them to the water’s edge where Nile crocodiles wait. A crocodile lies almost completely hidden and lunges at an impala as it lowers its head to drink, then drags it into the water.

The African rock python, Africa’s largest snake, catches impalas by ambush, coiling around them and killing by constriction. Large pythons can swallow young impalas and occasionally adults.

Smaller predators of impala calves

Newborn calves are vulnerable to a wider range of predators, including black-backed jackals, martial eagles and baboons, as well as the large carnivores above. To protect them, mothers give birth alone and hide the calf in thick cover for its first days before it joins a nursery group.

How impalas survive so many predators

Impalas have several ways to avoid being eaten:

• Herds and vigilance. Living in groups means more eyes and ears. Animals at the edge of the herd are especially watchful.
• Alarm snorts. An impala that spots danger gives a loud snort that alerts the whole herd, and often other species nearby.
• Huge leaps. Impalas can leap about 3 m (10 ft) high and 10 m (33 ft) long, and a herd that scatters in all directions confuses predators. Read more in How high can an impala jump?.
• Birth synchrony. In southern Africa most calves are born within a few weeks of each other, around November and December. Predators cannot catch them all, so more survive.
• Mixed company. Impalas often feed near baboons, zebras, giraffes and other grazers. Each species watches for danger, and impalas respond to the alarm calls of their neighbors. Baboons, which spot predators well from trees, are a useful early-warning system, even though they occasionally kill impala calves themselves.

Are impalas in danger from predators?

No. The IUCN lists the impala as Least Concern with a stable population. Impalas breed every year, eat both grass and leaves, and thrive in many habitats, so their numbers recover quickly. In fact, the abundance of impalas helps support healthy populations of leopards, wild dogs and other predators in parks across Africa.