Impala (Aepyceros melampus). Births generally occur around midday when predators are more likely to be resting rather than hunting. In Chobe National Park, Botswana. Usually a single calf is born which is immediately concealed in cover for the first few weeks of its birth. There were many calves being born in late November at the time of our visit. Of the 32 species of antelope in Southern Africa, impala are the only species to feature the black metatarsal glands above the hoof of the hind legs. It has been proposed that the scent released from this gland may act as a chemical cue for other herd members to follow during a chase. According to Vrba, the impala developed from an alcelaphine ancestor and has continued in its basic form for at least five million years.
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