Wildebeest
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. The antics of the territorial bulls
during breeding season have earned them the name clowns of the savanna.
The species that forms the large herds of the Serengetis-Mara ecosystem
of Tanzania and Kenya is variously known as the brindled, blue-
or white-bearded gnu. Scientists do, however, make a distinction
and list the blue as a separate race restricted to southern Tanzania.
The wildebeest described here is the white-bearded of southern Kenya
and northern Tanzania.
Physical Characteristic
The head of the wildebeest is large and box-like. Both males and females
have curving horns, that are close together at the base, but curve
outward, inward and slightly backward. The body looks disproportionate,
as the front end is heavily built, the hindquarters slender and the
legs spindly.
The wildebeest is gray with darker vertical stripes that look almost
black from a distance. This species has a dark name and a long tail.
Newborns are a yellowish-brown, but change to adult color at about
2 months.
Habitat
Large herds of wildebeest are located in the plains
and acacia of eastern Africa.
Behavior
In the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem the animals make a migratory
circle each year of 500 to 1,000 miles. The migration starts after
the calving season in January and February on the short grass plains
in the southeastern Serengeti. Wildebeests move west toward Lake Victoria,
across the grass savanna to the open woodlands, then turn north into
the Mara. They then begin the return trip to the south. They are relentless
in their advance and will swim rivers and lakes in such huge masses
that many are injured, lost (especially in the case of calves) or
killed.
Wildebeest are continually on the move as they seek favorable supplied
of grass and water. Active both day and night, they often string
out in long single columns when on the move. They also cover long
distances at a slow rocking gallop but can run fast when necessary.
Zebras and Thomsons gazelles, and some of their many predators,
accompany the migrating wildebeests.
During mating season smaller breeding groups of about 150 animals
form within the massive herds. In these small groups, five or six
of the most active bulls establish and defend territories that females
wander through. The bulls go through all kinds of antics, galloping
and bucking around their territories. They paw the ground and rub
their heads on it, spreading secretions produced by the preorbital
and interdigital glands. They also urinate and defecate in a certain
spot and toll in it to signal to other bulls to stay away.
When neighboring bulls meet at the edges of their territories they
go through a highly ritualized challenge in which they paw the
ground, buck, snort and fight. They typical combat position in on
their knees, facing one another, with their foreheads flat on the
ground they knock heads and hit at the base of the horns but seldom
injure one another. Some scientists believe these challenges may
increase hormone levels, as the nonterritorial bulls in the bachelor
herds are very placid.
Diet
Strictly grazers, wildebeest prefer short grass.
They are unable to go without water for more than a few days.
Caring for the Young
Wildebeest females give birth to a single calf in
the middle of the herd, not seeking a secluded place, as do many antelopes.
Amazingly, about 80 percent of the females calve within the same 2-
to 3- week period, creating a glut for predators and thus enabling
more calves to survive the crucial first few weeks. A calf can stand
and run within minutes of birth. It immediately begins to follow its
mother and stays close to her to avoid getting lost or killed by waiting
predators. Within days, it can run fast enough to keep up with the
adult herd.
A calf eats its first grass at about 10 days, although it is still
suckled for at least 4 months. Even after weaning, it will remain
with the mother until the next years calf is born. At that time
the young males are driven away, but the females often remain in
the same groups as their mothers.
Predators
Wildebeest are the preferred prey of lions and spotted
hyena. Although the animals have no camouflage coloring, they get
some protection from gathering in large herds. (If a calf loses its
mother it will imprint on and follow whatever is closest a car,
a person or occasionally even a predator, but in the later case, probably
not for long.)
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