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Wildebeest

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                   iWildebeest
   Blue Wildebeest
   Blue Wildebeest

                             Conservation status

   Lower risk
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom:   Animalia
   Phylum:    Chordata
   Subphylum: Vertebrata
   Class:     Mammalia
   Order:     Artiodactyla
   Family:    Bovidae
   Genus:     Connochaetes
              Lichtenstein, 1812

                                   Species

   Connochaetes gnou
   Connochaetes taurinus

   The wildebeest ( pl.: wildebeest or wildebeests), also called the gnu (
   pronounced /nu/ or /nju/), is a large hooved ( ungulate) mammal of the
   genus Connochaetes, which includes two species, both native to Africa:
   the Black Wildebeest or White-tailed Gnu (C. gnou), and the Blue
   Wildebeest or Brindled Gnu (C. taurinus). Gnus belong to the family
   Bovidae, which includes antelopes, cattle, goats, and other even-toed
   horned ungulates.

   Wildebeest grow to 1.15–1.4 metres (3'9"–4'7") at the shoulder and
   weigh between 150 and 250 kilograms. (330 and 550 pounds) They inhabit
   the plains and open woodlands of Africa, especially the Serengeti.
   Wildebeest can live for more than 20 years.

Behaviour

   The principal foodstuff of wildebeest are grasses. The seasonal nature
   of the African grasslands forces wildebeest to make annual migrations.
   The main migration is in May, when around 1.5 million animals move from
   the plains to the woods; they return in November as summer rains water
   the plains.

   Mating typically occurs after the rainy season (around March or April)
   over a three-week period, and this species achieves one of the highest
   success rates of impregnation of all mammals, possibly because of a
   high state of fitness following ample rain. Gestation requires about
   eight and one half months. The cows will calve in summer (December to
   January) on the plains. The calves can walk within minutes, and after a
   few days can keep up with the rest of the herd. After calving, the
   breeding season begins again. Dominant bulls defend territories marked
   with feces and pheromones produced by scent glands on the hooves.
   Subordinate males form bachelor herds.

   Wildebeest are an important part of the plains ecosystem, since their
   dung fertilizes the soil, and their grazing and trampling encourage new
   growth. However, wildebeest stampedes are notorious for the amount of
   destruction they cause. A typical stampede often features approximately
   500 wildebeest travelling at speeds of up to 50mph (80kph), and can
   last for 30 minutes. This animal is also an important food source for
   predators such as lions and hyenas.

Name

   Herd of Wildebeest
   Enlarge
   Herd of Wildebeest
   Wildebeest in the Ngorongoro
   Enlarge
   Wildebeest in the Ngorongoro

   The name wildebeest finds its origin in the Dutch and Afrikaans words
   wild beest which means "wild animal/beast". Although the name is
   derived from the Dutch language, the name wildebeest doesn't officially
   exist in the Dutch language. The Dutch name for wildebeest is gnoe
   (where the Dutch "g" is pronounced [†x]) (as in: Loch).

   Afrikaanders (Afrikaans speaking South-Africans) have probably started
   using the phrase "Wildebeest" for the animal as they did not know any
   name for the animal when they first encountered it.

   'Gnu' is from a Khoikhoi language (which pronounced the [g]), which
   likely imitated it from the grunt-type noise that a wildebeest makes.

   The pronunciation of '[gnuː]' was popularized in English by the comic
   song ' The Gnu' by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann, in which all
   words starting with n have a g prepended: 'I'm a g-nu, I'm a g-nu, the
   g-nicest work of g-nature in the zoo.'

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildebeest"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
