The wildebeest, also known as connochaetes, belong to the bovine family. Strong looking, social and calm. In this article we will learn more about the wildebeest and its characteristics, so we invite you to continue reading about this animal they call "wild beast".
Wildebeest Morphology
They are antelopes, in their structure their horns stand out, which are usually smaller in females, and the disproportion of their body, as the front part is larger compared to the rest of their body, which is thinner. They have large, pointed hooves.
Among the wildebeest, the black wildebeest and the blue wildebeest are divided into two types, the latter being much more abundant in quantity, compared to the black wildebeest, which several times has been in danger of suffering a terrible fate. At present they persist in considerably less quantity.
The fur is blue with grayish touches, it has a lot of hair like a beard. They can grow to be 2,5 meters tall and weigh up to 250 kilograms.
Habitat
They live in Africa, in the Serengeti, specifically in Kenya and Tanzania, they are found in the forests and plains. They usually migrate between May and June, in this process more than a million wildebeests participate, accompanied by other animals, an act that many think is a wonder of mother nature. Their migration is based on climate changes and the availability of vegetation and water for their food.
Food
The wildebeest are herbivorous animals, they look for their food in the plains or leaves of the forests and trees, they eat both at night and during the day if the moon provides enough light for that. Their main reason for migrating is to seek the freshest grass possible, especially between season changes.
Behavior
They usually gather in herds, which is the largest in the world, in which they are divided into groups: one of young, another of females, mothers with young, and another of adult males. However, they all meet to be able to emigrate together.
They are often called "wild cattle". The wildebeest is very sociable with its kind. The wildebeest share their space with other animals such as gazelles and zebras, they can coexist in peace while eating since none of them coincide with the taste of grasses, there is a different one for each species and animal.
Wildebeest tend to be the prey of other animals. Predators such as leopards, lions, cheetahs, crocodiles, wild dogs, among others. The ones that most often suffer this sad fate are the cubs, mostly because of the cheetahs.
Their method of defense is to escape, they have horns with which they do not usually defend themselves. However, adult males sometimes manage to intimidate predators. Their normal life expectancy is usually up to 25 years.
Reproduction
In the mating season, it usually coincides with the emigration season, the males try to find females and keep them in a field, protecting them from other males interested in taking them away and mating them.
After the act of reproduction, the female lasts 8 months of gestation, in which only one calf is born per female, which can already walk within minutes of being born and in less than a week achieve the compass of the rest of the herd. Per year they can give birth to between 400.000 and 500.000 offspring, when the rainy season begins, between February and March.
The wildebeest is an animal with a strong, wild and dominant aspect, being in fact a peaceful animal with the rest of the species, the males are usually the most physically capable to defend themselves from their predators, an issue that they do not usually go out with often. success.
However, it is a sociable animal, very close to its species, and tries to get as far away from hostility as possible. Its species, specifically the blue wildebeest, enjoys a large population, unfortunately it is not the same for its relative, the black wildebeest, but it is expected that it will soon increase its numbers, this animal is the star of an immense emigration due to the number of wildebeest that travel together, something worth seeing and that characterizes them from others.
Do not leave without first reading the following articles:
Mammals