Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

Common Wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It stages one of the largest land mammal migrations on the planet, with more than 1.5 million animals moving between the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara.

Weight

118 kg – 290 kg

Size

1.7 m – 2.4 m

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Herd

Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaHerbivore Variable activity In herds Savanna Mammal

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Fun facts

It stages a migration of more than 1.5 million animals between the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara.
Every birth in a population happens in a synchronised burst of just 2 to 3 weeks.
That synchrony swamps the predators and maximises calf survival.
comportamientoIt takes part in one of the largest land migrations on the planet, with over a million animals moving between Tanzania and Kenya each year, following the rains.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Short-grass savanna and open woodland of eastern and southern Africa
Birth weight: ~18 kg
Size at birth: On its feet and following its mother within 15 minutes of birth
Sexual maturity: Female: 16 months | Male: 2-4 years (though it usually breeds later because of social competition)
Gestation / incubation: 8-8.5 months (250-260 days)
Litter / clutch size: 1 young per birth
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of 24.3 years in captivity

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animal Diversity Web; Ultimate Ungulate; Animalia.bio; About Animals; Ingwelala; Wikipedia (Blue wildebeest); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service