This Showdown Between a Leopard and Impala Is More Dramatic Than Any Hollywood Movie

The leopard tends to have a flare for the dramatic when hunting for its prey. Although he’s not the fastest in the kingdom, that title goes to the cheetah; the leopard is still a swift predator. However, there are many prey that he hunts that could outrun him. Let’s see if the impala in the video below is able to outrun this leopard.

Watch This Incredible Video Shown Below!

Leopard and Impala Sighting

This video shown just above was filmed and shared by BBC Earth. This television channel is a leader in the nature and animal space. They share amazing footage and education in the videos that they share with their followers. BBC Earth describes what takes place in the video below.

“With a burst of speed of 65 km an hour, the Leopard without a doubt is a formidable predator. In this tense and compelling encounter, we stalk quietly alongside a Leopard as it sizes up an unsuspecting Impala, from the cover of a gully.”

Leopard Hunting an Impala

At the start of the video, we see a leopard who has caught sight of a group of impalas in the distance. He knows that he has a good chance of catching one. After all, the leopard can run up to 36 miles per hour. But, he is known to be able to get up to bursts of 65 kilometers (40 miles per hour), according to the narrator at BBC Earth.

However, this leopard knows that he needs to get a little bit closer. He doesn’t want to start a panic in these mammals until he is ready to pounce.

The impala rears its head, always looking out for predators who might come out of the woodwork to attack. But this leopard is a formidable hunter. He knows how to get close without being detected. We want you to pay special attention to the video starting at 2:09. Notice how slowly the leopard picks up each paw and then places it down so as not to make even a single sound.

The leopard pounces, and like an apex predator, this leopard is able to grab around the neck of this impala for a successful kill. This meal will feed him for weeks.

How Fast Can an Impala Run?

The impala (Aepyceros melampus) of the family Bovidae is the smaller version of an antelope. Where an antelope can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, the impala weighs only up to 165 pounds.

Impalas can run up to 56 miles per hour. So, now we are able to see why this leopard made a serious attempt to get as close as it possibly could. There is no way this leopard would have been able to outrun an impala at such a great distance. However, the closer that he gets, the less amount of effort he has to output.

The impala is a highly intelligent creature when being hunted. They are known for their ability to zigzag when they are being chased. The Cheetah Conservation Fund adds that Impalas will start “slowing down and quickly changing direction.” They do this to evade and confuse the predator chasing them. However, this unlucky impala did not have the opportunity to react before he was pounced on.