“Wildebeest are also called gnus.”
Blue wildebeest are herd-forming grazers of eastern and southern African savannas. Some populations follow seasonal rains in vast migrations, crossing rivers and predator territories to reach fresh short grass and dependable water.
By An Nguyen · Published · Updated
Connochaetes taurinusArtiodactylaBovidae
Browse photographs of blue wildebeest across habitat, behavior, anatomy, and life stages.
Click any photo to view it larger. 8 images available.
Core article
A closer look at habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and conservation.
The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is the engine of the Great Migration — the annual movement of well over a million animals across the plains of East Africa in search of rain-fed grass. Often said to have the head of a cow, the mane of a horse, and the body of an antelope, it is a rugged endurance specialist rather than a graceful one. It is also an ecological keystone: the savanna's chief "lawnmower," whose grazing and dung keep the grassland it crosses alive.
Despite its cattle-like head, the wildebeest is a true antelope, more closely related to gazelles than to cows; its other name, "gnu," imitates its grunting call. The body is front-heavy and muscular, 6 to 8 feet long and 400 to 600 pounds, standing higher at the shoulder than the rump for a sloping profile, with outward-then-up curving horns in both sexes and a shaggy mane and beard. It is built for stamina — big heart and lungs let it trot for days — but can still burst to 50 mph to escape predators, and its broad, flat muzzle crops short grass close to the ground like a mower. Two species exist: the black wildebeest of southern Africa and the far more numerous blue wildebeest that drives the migration.
Blue wildebeest live on the savannas and grasslands of eastern and southern Africa — Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia — favouring open short-grass plains and acacia woodland. The single fact that shapes their whole existence is water dependence: unlike desert antelope such as the oryx, a wildebeest must drink at least every other day, which is exactly why the herds cannot stay put and must chase the rains.
The wildebeest is a bulk grazer living almost entirely on short, nutrient-rich grasses and fresh shoots, and its feeding is tied to zebras in a neat succession. Zebras move into tall grass first and eat the tough upper stalks their guts can handle, which exposes the tender, protein-rich shoots near the soil — precisely what the wildebeest's broad muzzle then crops to the root. That relentless grazing keeps the grassland healthy: it reduces wildfire fuel, and millions of hooves and vast amounts of dung break up and fertilise the soil, driving explosive regrowth when the rains return.
Wildebeest are intensely social, forming Serengeti–Mara mega-herds of over 1.5 million in fluid groups that constantly split and merge amid a chorus of grunts and snorts. Their defining behaviour is the Great Migration — a roughly 1,800-mile circular route following the seasonal rains to fresh pasture. The most dangerous moments are the river crossings, such as the Mara: driven by herd pressure and the pull of green grass on the far bank, thousands pour down steep muddy banks into fast water, facing drowning, trampling, and the Nile crocodiles waiting in ambush.
Wildebeest breeding uses "predator swamping" — overwhelming predators with sheer numbers. The rut is a brief three-week burst in May–June, with dominant bulls herding females and clashing horns. After about 8.5 months, the calving season delivers nearly half a million calves within a two-to-three-week window in February, so many at once that lions and hyenas are quickly satiated and most calves survive. The calves are highly precocial — standing within minutes and running with the herd within an hour — and bond to their mothers by scent and voice in the chaos. Wildebeest live 15 to 20 years.
The blue wildebeest is Least Concern, with a large, stable population inside the protected Serengeti–Mara system. Outside the big parks it is another story: the greatest threat is the severing of migration routes. Expanding settlement, farmland, and especially hundreds of miles of veterinary fencing (built to separate wildlife from cattle) have blocked access to dry-season water in places like Botswana, causing die-offs of hundreds of thousands, while bushmeat poaching adds steady pressure.
To learn more about the wildebeest and the ecology of the Great Migration, consult the following authoritative resources:
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Artiodactyla
Family
Bovidae
Genus
Connochaetes
Species
C. taurinus
Wildebeest are also called gnus.
Hundreds of thousands migrate across the Serengeti each year.
Calves can run within minutes of being born.
Wildebeest must drink water regularly.
Their herds make loud grunting and gnu-like calls.
River crossings during migration are dangerous because of crocodiles.
Select a question to reveal the answer.
A wildebeest is a large African antelope with curved horns and a shaggy mane. The blue wildebeest is the most common species.
Blue wildebeest live on savannas and grasslands in eastern and southern Africa, especially Kenya, Tanzania, and Botswana.
Wildebeest graze on short grasses. They follow rains to find fresh green pasture.
Wildebeest migrate to follow seasonal rains and find new grass and water.
A baby wildebeest is called a calf. Most calves are born during the same few weeks each year.
Yes. Wildebeest belong to the antelope family Bovidae, along with gazelles and cattle relatives.
Blue wildebeest are listed as Least Concern, but migration routes can be threatened by fences and habitat loss.
Related animals
