WildView™

February 29, 2016

A Leaping Lope

- as seen by -

Julie Larsen

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Celebrate Leap Day with one of the great athletes of the animal kingdom, the impala.

While working in the Luangwa Valley of Zambia, I came upon an impala herd standing as still as statues as if waiting for some game to begin.

Then, without warning, they took off, each one gliding over a nearby gorge to a river.

For the medium-sized antelopes, leaping serves two purposes—it’s for safety and for sport. If pursued by a predator, an impala can long jump nearly 33 feet and clear obstacles with a high jump of about 10 feet.

When not on a desperate run, though, they still leap for fun.

Nikon D2x

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