What sounds do the impalas make?

Impalas can make some crazy sounds - much more aggressive and menacing than expected.

On my sound recording expeditions to Africa I've often heard male impala alarm calls - a series of sudden snorts and sneezes that develop into repeated loud growls. The purpose of these calls is to warn other impalas of potential dangers like leopards or lions. Other species have been documented to react to impala calls, including zebra, wildebeest and puku. Until my recent expedition to Zimbabwe I had only heard these calls individually and sporadically.

When I arrived at Lake Kariba, I found large herds of impalas hanging out in the dry floodplains among dead mopane trees. These trees were ideal microphone tripods so I immediately set up a recording rig in one around 3m off the ground. There was a lot of wind while the rig was recording so I did not capture much interesting content.

Having said that, in one of the lulls between windy periods a bachelor herd got close and then became very excited all of a sudden, calling like crazy. We were about a mile away watching them and could hear the abrupt explosion of calls. There was no predator around so maybe this was just the young impalas learning from one another, or trying to outcompete each other. Regardless of that, this is one of my favourite recordings that I captured on that expedition.

Recorded with Sony PCM A10 and Lom mikroUsi microphones at Bumi Hills, Zimbabwe. Enjoying the videos I upload on here? Feel free to support me by:
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