This specimen of an early impala was found at Lothagam on the west side of Lake Turkana. It has both the complete left and right horn cores and the back of the skull but it is missing the face. This is the type specimen of Aepyceros premelampus and is one of the earliest known records of Aepyceros. Today there is only one species of impala, Aepyceros melampus, but over the past 7 million years there have been at least three and possibly four species living in East Africa at different times. Impalas are small to medium sized antelopes that inhabit riverine forest glades and bush. These habitats would have been prevalent in the Turkana Basin in the past. The horns are found only in the males. These beautiful lyrate horn cores are long and curve backwards in side view in the adult males.
Forum Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Tribe: Aepycerotini Genus: Aepyceros Species: premelampus Element: Cranium with left and right horn cores Locality: Lothagam, West Turkana Year of Discovery: 1967 Other Fossils to View |
I wonder how much impalas have changed over the past 7 million years...