Pronghorn antelope; Second Fastest Animal on Earth

There is no other antelope like the wildebeest. It looks like it was assembled from spare parts – the forequarters could have come from and ox, the hindquarters from an antelope and the mane and tail from a horse. It is 4th fastest animal on land.

Scientific Name: Connochaetes taurinus Type: Mammal Diet: Herbivore Group Name: Herd

Speed:

Habitat

• They like to live in grassy plains and open woodlands in southern, central, and eastern Africa.

Population

• 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.

Food and Life

• Strictly grazers, wildebeest prefer short grass.
• They are unable to go without water for more than a few days.
  
• Wildebeest can live more than 30 years, though their average lifespan is around 20 years.
• Wildebeest are continually on the move as they seek favorable supplied of grass and water
• They are active both day and night.

Measurements

• Female wildebeest (cows) are smaller than the male.
• A full grown wildebeest can be 4 ft 2 in (1.27 m) to 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m) at the shoulder.
• They weigh 265–600 lb (120–270 kg).

Migration

• Wildebeest are known for their annual migration to new pastures.
  
• Wildebeest usually begin their migration in the months of May or June.
• However, if it is a particularly dry year, migration may begin earlier because of the decrease in vegetation.
• Factors that affect migration include food, water, predators, and also phosphorus level.
• Ecologists have found that the main reason that wildebeest migrate is to find high quality food during the whole year.
• Major predators that feed on wildebeest include the lion, hyena, cheetah, leopard, and heyna.

• In recent years, Botswanan authorities placed thousands of kilometers of fences across the Kalahari. These fences prevented wildebeests from reaching watering holes and grazing grounds, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals
• There are some populations that do not migrate.These groups can be found in the Ngorongoro Crater, Selous, Hwange, and Esotha.

Species and Subspecies

• They belong to genus Connochaetes.
• Connochaetes includes two species, black wildebeest and the blue wildebeest.
• Today there are five subspecies of the blue wildebeest while the black wildebeest has no living subspecies.
• The blue wildebeest is the bigger of the two species, standing taller and weighing more than the black wildebeest
• In males, the blue wildebeest stand 150 cm tall at the shoulder and weigh around 250 kg while the black wildebeest stands 111 to 120 cm tall and weighs about 180 kg

Breeding and Young Ones

• Wildebeest usually breed at the end of the rainy season( May to July).

• The gestation period is about 8 to 9 months.
• Up to 500,000 calves are born in February and March each year.
• Calves learn to walk within minutes of birth.
• Within days are able to keep up with the heard.
• Newborns are a yellowish-brown, but change to adult colour (Grey) at about 2 months.

Life Threats

• Wildebeest are killed for food, especially forbiltong, which is dried game meat.
• They are an important food source for predators such as lions and hyenas.