Recently, while out on safari, after all the rain that we have had, we came across this sleeping impala. This specific antelope will lie down as this limits the amount of body heat lost through their skinny legs. If one takes a closer look at the Impala Rams fur you will see that he is soaked but the hair is erected from his body. This action is called philo erection. What the animal does is erect his/her fur, by doing this any heat loss through the body warms the air in between the fur acting like a thermal blanket. Other animals are also able to do thiss, such as cats and dogs which raise the hair on their back to make themselves appear bigger and more threatening. Nyala Bulls will also raise the hair on their back for the same reason whilst trying to intimidate an opponent. They will very rarely come to blows with other bulls and settle their disputes in this manner. This has given them the name “gentleman of the bush”.
