Impala with Oxpeckers

This stately antelope (Aepyceros melampus) is a crowd-favorite. Impalas have a glossy coat of cinnamon and cream and a white belly. Black hairs ring the eyes, tip the ears, head, and feet, and form a distinctive "M"-shape on the buttocks ("Mmmmmm," says the carnivores! "Mmm-pala.").

Running down an impala is no easy task. They can sprint upwards of 55 mph, cut sharply, and leap 10 feet high and 30 feet forward.

Two oxpeckers rest on this female. These birds pick at parasites and wounds on her skin.

Very Good

"God eyed all that he had made and (just look!) it was very good" (Gen 1:31). Everyday is Earth Day for those who take this statement seriously. Believers have reason to be the greenest people on the planet.

Come to Tanzania. See the goodness and consider creation care with new eyes. Find details in the comments below.

Pictured is the Common Impala (Aepyceros melampus), a graceful mid-sized antelope found in the Serengeti.

Chasing Cheese

It is hard to imagine a more elegant and agile creature than the common impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus). Long legs give it the ability to sprint up to 55 mph, jump over an obstacles more than ten feet high, and leap a distance of 33 feet.

We often encounter groups of these gregarious creatures in East Africa. They are easily identified due to their medium size, reddish-brown coat, lyre-shaped horns, and black markings on the hind-quarters. Imagine the black marks on the rump advertising the letter "M." See it? Don't blink. That's an iMpala!

Something else that might be of interest: note the black marking on the "ankles" (metatarsals) of the impala's rear legs? Those are scent glands. The impala is the only member of the antelope family that has these features. Some think that the impala leaves a "chemical trail" for others to follow in a chase! What's more, that trail has the smell of cheese! Cheese chase? Of course!