The Wildebeest

Wildebeests can be found in most parks in Eastern and Southern Africa. The best place to see these creatures would be in East Africa.

‘Every year between july and November, up to 1.5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of other animals, including about 600,000 zebras and 200,000 Thomposon’s gazelles, move in a large herd between Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Masai mara in Kenya.

The wildebeests are social animals and stick together in tens of thousands as they forage. This creates a sensational picture that is beautiful to behold. Males usually take control of the herd as it grazes day and night. Wildebeest have been known to be able to live for more than 20 years. They are a major source for preditors like the lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dogs and even hyenas.

There are two common species of wildebeest. The Blue Wildebeest or Brindled Gnu and Black Wildebeest also known as White-tailed Gnu within the family Bovidae, which by the way includes antelopes, cattle, goats and other even toed horned ungulates. During the month of February and March which is the calving season, about half a million calves are born on the serengeti plains. Wildebeest calves learn to walk within minutes of birth and are able to keep up with the herd.

Wildebeest can attain a speed of up to 80 kilometers per hour and require water after about 15 or 25 kilometers distance. The name gnu comes from Khoikhoi language  and is an imitaton of the animal’s grunting noise. The name wildbeest is from the Afrikaans meaning a ‘wild beast’. This could be due to the fact that the wildebeest looks like it has been made from parts of other animals. It has a large head, shaggy mane, pointed beard, and sharp, curved horns. Their blunt muzzles are best suited for biting short green grass, as a wide incisor row would prevent more selective feeding. The future of the the widebeest migration that occurs between the two parks masai mara and serengeti may be adversely affected by the decrease in grasslands due to human factors like an increase in agricultural farming along their migration path.