Quick stats of the Blue Wildebeest

• Diet: - Herbivore
• Shoulder Height: - 1.4 m
• Weight: - Male - 240 kg
• Weight: - Female - 185 kg
• Lifespan - 20 years

Description

 Wildebeest prefer open plains. This habitat makes it easier for them to detect potential predators such as lion, but also enables them to run more effectively.

Wildebeest are sociable, and often form smaller herds of around four to eight animals. They need frequent access to water and will migrate to fresh grazing areas where they feed on the short tufts of grass. Sometimes these migrations can be in larger herds, as seen in the Serengeti.

Both sexes have broad horns which project sideways and then curve upwards, tapering to a sharp point, similar to those of the buffalo. Blue Wildebeest have lean bodies with long thin legs and broad necks. They are uniform grayish-black in colour, patterned with indistinct vertical stripes.

During the breeding season, females form calving herds and give birth to a single calf within few days of each other. The calf is able to stand a few minutes after being born, and within a day, the calf can run fast enough to keep up with the herd.

 

 

Other Names for the Blue Wildebeest

• Blouwildebees

Distribution

Distribution map of the Blue Wildebeest

Taxonomy of the Blue Wildebeest

• Order - Artiodactyla
• Family - Bovidae
• Sub Family - Alcelaphinae
• Genus - Connochaetes
• Species - Connochaetes taurinus