Wildebeest

Meet Wildebeest at Audubon Zoo

Common Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) are African antelope with cattle-like faces. You’ll find the Zoo’s wildebeest grazing on the grassy expanse of their African Savanna habitat.

Wildebeest Fast Facts

Conservation Status: Least concern, no current risk of extinction
Habitat/Range: Savanna grasslands
Diet: Herbivore —grasses
Size: Up to 4'7" tall at the shoulder; 300-600 lbs.
Lifespan: low-to-mid teens in the wild; up to 20 years in human care
Social Structure: Large herds
Fun Fact: Wildebeest are noisy! They grunt, moan, and snort explosively.

Wildebeest are also called gnus because their grunt sounds like “gnu gnu.”

Wildebeest look oddly top-heavy, but they are surprisingly nimble.

Wildebeest enjoy rolling in the sand and dirt.

Wildebeest Habitat & Range

The vast majority of Common Wildebeest inhabit the Serengeti plains of southeastern Africa, straddling the nations of Tanzania and Kenya.

Learn More About Wildebeest Habitat & Range

Historic vs. Current Range
Wildebeest still occupy most of their historic range but in reduced herd sizes outside of the Serengeti.

Habitat
Wildebeest are grazers that live in grasslands.

Wildebeest Behavior

Wildebeest travel in large groups in constant search of fresh grass and water. They are living lawnmowers that significantly impact the ecology of savannah grasslands. They are also an important prey species for several types of predators, including lions and painted dogs.

Learn More About Wildebeest Behavior

Stay Together
For wildebeest, there is safety in numbers. To protect themselves from predators, these African antelope form herds, and the herds join together to form even larger traveling groups. The more wildebeest there are, the less likely any one animal will get picked off by lions, cheetahs, painted dogs, or hyenas. At night, they sleep on the ground in rows. This provides them with group security while allowing them space to run if necessary.

A herd of wildebeest consists of a territorial bull, several females, and their calves. Males grow up and leave the herds into which they were born. They join bachelor groups before establishing territories of their own and gaining access to females. Females stay in their natal herds.

Birth Together
Wildebeest prefer to do everything together, and this includes giving birth. Every year at the start of the rainy season, up to 80% of all wildebeest calves are born within a two-to-three-week span. This can mean as many as 500,000 newborns entering the world at once! Wildebeest calves are on their feet within three to seven minutes after birth, and they start following their mothers and traveling with the herd immediately.

The sudden abundance of calves gives each one a better shot at survival. Since predators can only take a limited number of prey at any given time, some newborn wildebeest will be lost but most will survive.

Migrate Together
Just after calving season ends, common wildebeest begin their annual migration in search of greener pastures. They follow the rain and are relentless in their journey. Over the course of several months, between 1.3 and 2.5 million wildebeest will trek across the Serengeti and Maasai Mara savannahs, moving in a large loop through Tanzania and Kenya. Up to half a million plains zebra and Thomson’s gazelles will travel with them. The Great Migration, as it is known, takes the form of long columns stretching thousands of miles.

Wildebeest Conservation

While Common Wildebeest are listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN, the world’s leading conservation network, they are still under pressure due to illegal hunting and habitat loss and fragmentation.

Learn More About Wildebeest Conservation

Threats
To find enough grass to sustain them, wildebeest must move constantly. They need access to vast amounts of space. The size and distribution of many wildebeest herds are shrinking in response to the spread of human settlements and livestock. Fences pose a particular problem. Those that block migration routes have caused massive die-offs of wildebeest.

Conservation Efforts
To protect large herds of wildebeest, it is important to understand how they move, when, and where. This is a topic that scientists are now studying. Creating wildlife corridors and keeping grasslands connected is crucial to maintaining wildebeest migratory routes.

Wildebeest FAQs

How can I help wildebeest in the wild?

Become an Audubon member! Audubon Nature Institute is dedicated to protecting wildlife and the habitats they depend upon all around the world. Our conservation work is supported directly by our guests and members. When you buy a ticket or join as a member, you are directly contributing to species-focused conservation efforts across the planet.

What do the wildebeest eat at the Zoo?

Just like their wild cousins, Audubon’s wildebeest mostly eat grass. Their diet is supplemented by grain specially formulated for grazing animals.

Are the wildebeest part of any conservation program?

Wildebeest are not the specific focus of any current conservation program that Audubon Nature Institute supports. However, Audubon Zoo participates in African Lion SAFE, and this conservation program aims to protect habitat that lions and wildebeest share. Protecting habitat benefits all species that occupy it.