by An antelope leaped to the height of an elephant in an incredible moment captured by a ᴡɪʟᴅʟɪꜰᴇ photographer. The impala came eye to eye with the huge ᴍᴀᴍᴍᴀʟ as it jumped in the air at the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. While the antelope was leisurely drinking water by the lake, an elephant suddenly appeared. Discovering the huge elephant behind, it was so startled that it flew 3 meters high. Maybe the difference in size scared the antelope.
With long and strong legs, the antelope can jump and jump far. They are among the top fastest animals in the world. When they are ᴄʜᴀsᴇᴅ by leopards, lions, the speeds of these three animals are equal, just a little bit more and the antelope will become a meal for those ᴄᴀʀɴɪᴠᴏʀᴇs. The animals are known to leap huge distances both as a way to protect themselves from ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀs and for entertainment.
Janet Kleyn, 52, snapped the incredible image of the impala – a medium-size antelope – in the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. The ᴡɪʟᴅʟɪꜰᴇ photographer said she was perched in an underground photo hide when she spotted an elephant approaching the water and got ready to take the shot.
She said :”The impala was drinking off to the left and all of a sudden jumped into my viewfinder and I got the shot. The way that the impalas jump is thought to be a way of showing off and demonstrating their strength and ability to the intruder. It is obvious that this impala didn’t notice the approaching elephant. He had only just caught sight of him as he got closer to the water. The elephant was not showing any signs of aggression towards the impala.”
It is known that antelope and elephant are not ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs of each other. Both animals are herbivores, eating mostly grass and leaves. An adult male antelope can weigh up to 200kg, while an adult elephant can weigh up to 6 tons, 30 times heavier than an antelope. So it is understandable that an antelope is startled when it makes eye contact with the ɢɪᴀɴᴛ ᴍᴀᴍᴍᴀʟ.
