The head of the wildebeest is large and box-like. Both males and females
have curving horns, that are close together at the base, but curve outward,
inward and slightly backward. The body looks disproportionate, as the front
end is heavily built, the hindquarters slender and the legs spindly.
The wildebeest is gray with darker vertical stripes that look almost
black from a distance. This species has a dark name and a long tail.
Newborns are a yellowish-brown, but change to adult color at about 2 months.
Large herds of
wildebeest are located in the plains and acacia of eastern Africa.
In the Serengeti-Mara
ecosystem the animals make a migratory circle each year of 500 to 1,000
miles. The migration starts after the calving season in January and February
on the short grass plains in the southeastern Serengeti. Wildebeests move
west toward Lake Victoria, across the grass savanna to the open woodlands,
then turn north into the Mara. They then begin the return trip to the south.
They are relentless in their advance and will swim rivers and lakes in such
huge masses that many are injured, lost (especially in the case of calves)
or killed.
Wildebeest are continually on the move as they seek favorable supplied of
grass and water. Active both day and night, they often string out in long
single columns when on the move. They also cover long distances at a slow
rocking gallop but can run fast when necessary. Zebras and Thomson’s
gazelles, and some of their many predators, accompany the migrating
wildebeests.
During mating season smaller breeding groups of about 150 animals form
within the massive herds. In these small groups, five or six of the most
active bulls establish and defend territories that females wander through.
The bulls go through all kinds of antics, galloping and bucking around their
territories. They paw the ground and rub their heads on it, spreading
secretions produced by the preorbital and interdigital glands. They also
urinate and defecate in a certain spot and toll in it to signal to other
bulls to stay away.
When neighboring bulls meet at the edges of their territories they go
through a highly ritualized “challenge” in which they paw the ground, buck,
snort and fight. They typical combat position in on their knees, facing one
another, with their foreheads flat on the ground – they knock heads and hit
at the base of the horns but seldom injure one another. Some scientists
believe these challenges may increase hormone levels, as the nonterritorial
bulls in the bachelor herds are very placid.
Strictly grazers,
wildebeest prefer short grass. They are unable to go without water for more
than a few days.
Wildebeest females
give birth to a single calf in the middle of the herd, not seeking a
secluded place, as do many antelopes. Amazingly, about 80 percent of the
females calve within the same 2- to 3- week period, creating a glut for
predators and thus enabling more calves to survive the crucial first few
weeks. A calf can stand and run within minutes of birth. It immediately
begins to follow its mother and stays close to her to avoid getting lost or
killed by waiting predators. Within days, it can run fast enough to keep up
with the adult herd.
A calf eats its first grass at about 10 days, although it is still
suckled for at least 4 months. Even after weaning, it will remain with the
mother until the next year’s calf is born. At that time the young males are
driven away, but the females often remain in the same groups as their
mothers.
Wildebeest are the preferred
prey of lions and spotted hyena. Although the animals have no camouflage
coloring, they get some protection from gathering in large herds. (If a calf
loses its mother it will imprint on and follow whatever is closest – a car,
a person or occasionally even a predator, but in the later case, probably
not for long.)
- The wildebeest is one of the few African antelopes to have extended
its range in the last 50 years. They numbered about 250,000 in 1960 and
are thought to number 1.5 million today.
- Wildebeest, or gnus, (pronounced 'news'), are noisy. They constantly
emit low moans and if disturbed, snort explosively.
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