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Wildebeest
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Blue Wildebeest |
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Scientific classification |
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Species |
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Connochaetes gnou |
The wildebeest (plural,
wildebeest or wildebeests), also called the gnu
(pronounced /nu/
or /nju/), is
an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. As such it is a large hooved (ungulate)
mammal.
Connochaetes includes two species, both native
to Africa: the Black Wildebeest, or White-tailed Gnu (C. gnou), and the Blue
Wildebeest, or Brindled Gnu (C. taurinus). Gnus belong to the family Bovidae,
which includes antelopes, cattle, goats, and other even-toed horned ungulates.
Wildebeest grow to 1.15–1.4
meters (3'9"–4'7") at the shoulder and weigh between 150 and 250
kilograms (330 and 550 pounds). They inhabit the plains and open woodlands of Africa,
especially the Serengeti. Wildebeest can live for more than 20 years.
BehaviourThe principal foodstuff of
wildebeest are grasses. The seasonal nature of the African grasslands forces
wildebeest to make annual migrations. The main migration is in May, when around
1.5 million animals move from the plains to the woods; they return in November
as summer rains water the plains.
Mating typically occurs
after the rainy season (around March or April) over a three-week period, and
this species achieves one of the highest success rates of impregnation of all
mammals, possibly because of a high state of fitness following ample rain. Gestation
requires about eight and one half months. The cows will calve in summer
(December to January) on the plains. The calves can walk within minutes, and
after a few days can keep up with the rest of the herd. After calving, the breeding
season begins again. Dominant bulls defend territories marked with feces and pheromones
produced by scent glands on the hooves. Subordinate males form bachelor herds.
Wildebeest are an important
part of the plains ecosystem, since their dung fertilizes the soil, and their
grazing and trampling encourage new growth. However, wildebeest stampedes are
notorious for the amount of destruction they cause. A typical stampede often
features approximately 500 wildebeest travelling at speeds of up to 50mph
(80kph), and can last for 30 minutes. This animal is also an important food
source for predators such as lions and hyenas.
Name
Herd of
Wildebeest
The name wildebeest finds
its origin in the Dutch and Afrikaans words wild beest which means
"wild animal/beast". Although the name is derived from the Dutch
language, the name wildebeest doesn't officially exist in the Dutch language. The
Dutch name for wildebeest is gnoe (where the Dutch "g" is
pronounced [x],
as in Scottish/Scots Loch).
Afrikaanders (Afrikaans
speaking South-Africans) may have started using the name "Wildebeest"
for the animal as they had no other name for it when it was first encountered.
Wildebeest
in the Ngorongoro
'Gnu' is from a Khoikhoi
language (which pronounced the [g]), which likely imitated it from the
grunt-type noise that a wildebeest makes.
The pronunciation of '[gnuː]' was
popularized in English by the comic song 'The Gnu' by Michael Flanders and
Donald Swann, in which all words starting with n have a g prepended: 'I'm a
g-nu, I'm a g-nu, the g-nicest work of g-nature in the zoo.'
The principal foodstuff of
wildebeest are grasses. The seasonal nature of the African grasslands forces
wildebeest to make annual migrations. The main migration is in May, when around
1.5 million animals move from the plains to the woods; they return in November
as summer rains water the plains.
Mating typically occurs
after the rainy season (around March or April) over a three-week period, and
this species achieves one of the highest success rates of impregnation of all
mammals, possibly because of a high state of fitness following ample rain. Gestation
requires about eight and one half months. The cows will calve in summer
(December to January) on the plains. The calves can walk within minutes, and
after a few days can keep up with the rest of the herd. After calving, the breeding
season begins again. Dominant bulls defend territories marked with feces and pheromones
produced by scent glands on the hooves. Subordinate males form bachelor herds.
Wildebeest are an important
part of the plains ecosystem, since their dung fertilizes the soil, and their
grazing and trampling encourage new growth. However, wildebeest stampedes are
notorious for the amount of destruction they cause. A typical stampede often
features approximately 500 wildebeest travelling at speeds of up to 50mph
(80kph), and can last for 30 minutes. This animal is also an important food
source for predators such as lions and hyenas.
Name
Herd of
Wildebeest
The name wildebeest finds
its origin in the Dutch and Afrikaans words wild beest which means
"wild animal/beast". Although the name is derived from the Dutch
language, the name wildebeest doesn't officially exist in the Dutch language. The
Dutch name for wildebeest is gnoe (where the Dutch "g" is
pronounced [x],
as in Scottish/Scots Loch).
Afrikaanders (Afrikaans
speaking South-Africans) may have started using the name "Wildebeest"
for the animal as they had no other name for it when it was first encountered.
Wildebeest
in the Ngorongoro
'Gnu' is from a Khoikhoi
language (which pronounced the [g]), which likely imitated it from the
grunt-type noise that a wildebeest makes.
The pronunciation of '[gnuː]' was
popularized in English by the comic song 'The Gnu' by Michael Flanders and
Donald Swann, in which all words starting with n have a g prepended: 'I'm a
g-nu, I'm a g-nu, the g-nicest work of g-nature in the zoo.'