wildebeest
Sign in to saveWildebeest (, ; , ,), also called gnu (, or , ), are antelopes of the genus Connochaetes and native to Eastern and Southern Africa. They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes true antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed horned ungulates. There are two species of wildebeest: the black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (C. gnou), and the blue wildebeest or brindled gnu (C. taurinus).
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Wildebeest, also known as gnu, are large African antelopes belonging to the same family as cattle and sheep, with two species found in Eastern and Southern Africa. They are notable members of their ecosystem as part of the diverse group of horned, even-toed mammals native to the continent.
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Article
18 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Classification
- Taxonomy and evolution
- Genetics and hybrids
- Characteristics of the species
- Interdigital glands
- Distribution and habitat
- Migration
- Ecology
- Predators
- Interactions with nonpredators
- Breeding and reproduction
- Threats and conservation
- Uses and interaction with humans
- Cultural depictions
- See also
- References
- External links
Wildebeest (, ; , ,), also called gnu (, or , ), are antelopes of the genus Connochaetes and native to Eastern and Southern Africa. They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes true antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed horned ungulates. There are two species of wildebeest: the black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (C. gnou), and the blue wildebeest or brindled gnu (C. taurinus).
Fossil records suggest these two species diverged about one million years ago, resulting in a northern and a southern species. The blue wildebeest remained in its original range and changed very little from the ancestral species, while the black wildebeest changed more as adaptation to its open grassland habitat in the south. The most obvious ways of telling the two species apart are the differences in their colouring and in the way their horns are oriented.