White Bearded Wildebeest

Wildebeests are grazing animals that mainly eat short, fast-growing grasses. When there is not enough grass, they will also eat leaves from bushes and trees. During the dry season, migratory herds of wildebeest travel hundreds of miles in search of food.

At the Zoo, they eat a specially formulated herbivore pellet and timothy hay. 

Wildebeest are found throughout eastern and southern Africa, from Kenya to eastern Namibia. Their southern range is bordered by the Orange River in South Africa.

Wildebeest prefer short grasses and need to drink water at least every other day, which allows them to thrive in moist plains where there are water sources. In drier areas, they will look for wooded savannas that have shrubs and small trees to provide some shade and cover.

Wildebeests have several major predators, including lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, and hyenas. When they see a potential threat, wildebeests come together, stomp their feet, and make loud alarm calls to warn each other. They even follow predators sometimes to try to scare them away.

While there are many wildebeests in the wild, they still face dangers from human activities. As people settle and develop land, it can lead to problems. Competition with domesticated livestock for grazing and the rerouting of natural water sources for irrigation can lead to negative changes to their habitat. Additionally, roads, fences, and other buildings can block the paths wildebeests use to migrate between their wet and dry season habitats.

Wildebeests have a big, boxy head and curved horns that look a lot like cow horns. Both males and females have horns, but the males have larger and thicker ones. They have wide mouths with flexible lips, which help them eat a lot of short grass quickly.

Their bodies are strong in the front, with a slight hump over the shoulders, while their back ends are slender and have long, thin legs. Their coats are mostly gray with darker stripes on their necks and shoulders. They have a black mane and a tuft of hair at the end of their tails, and both males and females also feature a longer lighter-colored beard.

The breeding season happens once a year and lasts about three weeks, usually right after the rainy season when there is plenty of grass and other food. During this time, the grasses are more nutritious and easier to find, which helps increase the chances of successful pregnancies. Male wildebeests enter a phase called rut, where they focus on finding mates, competing for females, and mating as much as possible. During this period, males often do not eat or sleep.

Calving season occurs at the same time as the mass migration to areas with taller grass and reliable water sources during the dry season. After an eight-month pregnancy, mothers give birth to one calf, although twins are rare. The calf can usually stand and follow its mother within 10 minutes of being born. It is very important for the calf to recognize its mother, so she stays close and helps it learn her scent. About 80 to 90% of calves are born within a two- to three-week peak, resulting in around 400,000 calves from a population of about 1.3 million wildebeests. Staying in a large herd helps keep them safe and reduces the risk of being eaten by predators.

At about eight or nine months old, young wildebeests are fully weaned and start to leave their mothers to join groups of their peers.

Wildebeest communicate visually, vocally, and through scent. Bulls have many loud vocalizations, including moans and snorts. When trying to attract females, bachelor and territorial males hum, bellow, and croak. Competition between males typically involves ritualized displays, pushing with the horns, and the loud "ge-nu" call that gives the wildebeest its other name, the gnu. A male's bellow can be heard from more than a mile away. If they spot a potential predator, wildebeest come together, stamp their feet, and let out loud alarm calls to warn the herd.
Wildebeest also have scent glands near their eyes and hooves. These secretions, along with their urine and feces, play a big role in how they communicate. The secretions from their hoof glands help the herd stay together during migrations. To socialize, wildebeest rub the scent glands on their face onto other wildebeests.

Wildebeest are herd animals, forming smaller or larger groups at different times of the year and based on migration activity. The famous Serengeti population of wildebeest is a very large nomadic group. This group makes an annual journey that can be 500 to 1,000 miles long, beginning right after the calving season at the start of the year. By the end of the dry season, the wildebeest have almost exhausted the grazing lands and return to the Serengeti plains as the rains begin.