Connochaetes taurinus
blue wildebeest

The range of the wildebeest includes the plains and acacia savannas of eastern Africa. This range extends from the equator to the tip of South Africa (Estes, 1991).

Wildebeests thrive in areas that are neither too wet nor too dry. They can be found in places that vary from overgrazed areas with dense bush to open woodland floodplains. Wildebeests prefer the bushlands and grasslands of the southern savanna (Kingdon, 1989).

Blue wildebeest are large African bovids with robust muzzles and cow-like horns. The horns are long without ridges and the males' horns are thicker with the appearance of a boss. Wildebeests have short hair covering their bodies, and their color ranges from slate gray to dark brown, with males darker than females. There are black vertical stripes of longer hair on their backs. Wildebeests also have black faces, manes, and tails. The different subspecies of wildebeest vary in color. Connochaetes t. johnstoni is the largest subspecies and the western white-bearded wildebeest (C.t. mearnsi) is the smallest. Connochaetes t. mearnsi is the darkest group of wildbeest and C.t. albojubatus is the palest. Connochaetes t. taurinus individuals are slate gray in color, the origin of the common name "blue" wildebeest (Estes, 1991).

The wildebeest is a territorial, gregarious animal. Small herds are made up of females and their calves. These herds tend to occupy a small amount of space, and different herds overlap. Males leave these herds after a year and enter into a bachelor group. When males reach the age of four or five, they leave the bachelor groups and become territorial. The makeup of groups with cows remains constant and if a new cow tries to enter, it is harassed. When there are many herds grouped close together, it is common for cows to transfer from one group to another. At the end of the rains, cows emerge in their own groups but as the dry season goes on, the separate groups lose their identities. The number of times a group moves and how many cows are in a group depends on the rainfall, the dry season pasture, and other environmental factors (Estes, 1991). One large migration of wildebeest is known as the Serengeti migration. During this migration, wildebeest move from the open plains to Lake Victoria in search of forage. On this journey, wildebeests swim across rivers and many wildebeests are killed. When the wildebeest travel across land, they walk with their heads bowed down, which is most likely related to the fact that the scent gland for wildebeest are in their hooves and they bow to follow the group (Kingdon, 1989).

The beginning of rut in wildebeests is associated with the full moon. Territorial bulls, however, are always ready to mate. Whenever they are approached by another wildebeest, they greet the stranger with a rocking canter movement. If the newcomer is a female, the bull tries to herd or mount her. There is considerably more calling, herding, and fighting among the wildebeests during periods of sexual activity. A male that is sexually excited tries to herd as many females as possible and does not eat or sleep as long as a female is in his territory. Every territorial bull that sees a female in heat will try to mount her. If a female stands still, copulations are repeated often, at a rate of over two a minute. A female may encounter several dozen males in a day if her group is moving. A female in full heat will always be found by the side of a male (Estes, 1991).

The wildebeest is a grazing animal. They need water almost daily (Estes, 1991). Wildebeests feed in the morning and afternoon. Wildebeests have been known to eat tree leaves if there is not any grass available (Kingdon, 1989).

Even though wildebeests have helped farmers in the past, they are now considered more of a nuisance. Farmers claim that the competition with the cattle for food and the diseases that they spread to the cattle are quite devestating to their overall production (Kingdon, 1989).

In the past, wildebeests were captured by local farmers and were herded with cattle. Those wildebeests that lactated were used to feed the calves in the herd so that the cattles' milk could be used for human consumption. Besides their usefulness on ranches, wildebeests are also prevalent at zoos throughout the world (Kingdon, 1989).

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