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Blue Wildebeest

Scientific name: Connochaetes taurinus
Common name: Blue Wildebeest
Afrikaans: Blouwildebees
Setswana: Kgokong

Description

The Blue wildebeest have highly located shoulders and horns, resembling those of a cow. Adult males are dark grey and silver sheen, black on top of the muzzle and on the forehead, with a russet tinge to the forehead and darker stripes on the sides of the neck, shoulders and chest. Females and juveniles are browner and have russet on the forehead, calves 5 – 6 months are fawn. There is a mane of long hair on the back of the neck and a fringe along the throat. The tail has long hair black hair at the end, both sexes have horns growing sideways from bosses on the forehead, hooking upwards and inwards. The front feet of the animal exhibit black stripes, which is why it is nicknamed the ‘brindled gnu’. The front part of its face, the mane, and the long tail display black colouration. Their beards are long and coloured in either black or white, depending on the subspecies. This species exhibits sexual dimorphism with males, being noticeably bigger than females.

Habitat

Blue wildebeest survive in open woodland, scrub, and grassland. They need access to water, and animals constantly travel in search of suitable grass and water.

Diet

Blue wildebeest maintain a strictly herbivorous diet and they prefer fresh growth less than 10-15cm high. They require a constant water source and cannot survive for more than a few days without drinking water.

Behaviour

These animals are most active during the day with peaks of grazing in the early morning and late afternoon.

Conservation status

The biggest concerns to the population of this species are associated with human activities, which causes some populations to not make their usual migration. For example, deforestation and irrigation practices bring about a decline in water sources. On the other hand, fences don’t allow these animals to travel. Some populations of blue wildebeest regularly migrate to unprotected areas, where they suffer from the loss of their natural habitat and are commonly poached. As a result, smaller populations of this species are restricted to protected areas. All of the above-mentioned factors are compounded by diseases, transmitted by cattle and negatively impacting the local blue wildebeest populations.

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