Wildebeest 34033 225883190 2008-07-15T21:11:58Z Oobopshark 35713 /* Behavior */ {{Redirect|Gnu|the operating system|GNU}}{{otheruses6|GNU (disambiguation)|Wildebeest (disambiguation)}} {{Taxobox | name = Wildebeest | image = Black-wildebeest-aka-gnu.jpg | image_width = 260px | image_caption = [[Blue Wildebeest]] | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | subphylum = [[Vertebrate|Vertebrata]] | classis = [[Mammal]]ia | ordo = [[Even-toed ungulate|Artiodactyla]] | familia = [[Bovidae]] | genus = '''''Connochaetes''''' | genus_authority = [[Martin Lichtenstein|Lichtenstein]], 1812 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = ''[[Connochaetes gnou]]''<br>''[[Connochaetes taurinus]]'' }} The '''wildebeest''' (plural, '''''wildebeest''''' or '''''wildebeests'''''), also called the '''gnu''' ({{pronEng|ˈnuː}} or {{IPA|/ˈnjuː/}}), is an [[antelope]] of the [[genus]] ''Connochaetes''. It is a hooved ([[ungulate]]) mammal. It looks like a mixture of features between a cow and a horse. ''Connochaetes'' 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 3 [[foot (unit of length)|ft]] 9 [[inch|in]]&ndash;4 ft 7 in (1.15&ndash;1.4 [[metre]]s) at the shoulder and weigh 330&ndash;550 [[pound (mass)|pounds]] (150&ndash;250 [[kilogram]]s). They inhabit the plains and open woodlands of [[Africa]], especially the [[Serengeti]]. Wildebeest can live more than 20 years. ==Behavior== The principal food source of wildebeests is [[grass]]es. The seasonal nature of the African grasslands forces wildebeest to migrate. 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. [[Image:Wilderbeest.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Herd of wildebeest]] The name wildebeest finds its origin in the Dutch and [[Afrikaans]] words ''wild'' and ''beest'', which mean "wild animal" and "beest" in Afrikaans means "cattle" (or "steer"). 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 {{IPA|[x]}}, as in ''[[loch]]''). [[Image:Ngorongoro Wildebeest.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Wildebeest in the [[Ngorongoro]]]] [[Afrikaner]]s (Afrikaans-speaking South Africans) may have started using the name ''wildebeest'' for the animal as they had no other name for it when it was first encountered. "Gnu" is from a [[Khoikhoi]] language (which pronounced the [g]), likely an [[Onomatopoeia|imitation]] of the grunting noise that a wildebeest makes. ==See also== *[[Catoblepas]] (a legendary creature based on the wildebeest) *[[The Great Space Coaster]] (children's show that featured newscaster Gary Gnu) *[[White-bearded Wildebeest]] ==References== {{reflist}} * [http://www.bartleby.com/65/gn/gnu.html ''The Columbia Encyclopedia''] ==External links== * [http://www.sunsafaris.com/serengeti-migration-route.html Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Route] <gallery> Image:Wildebeest_(White Bearded).jpg|White bearded wildebeest at the Wildlife Ranch in [[San Antonio, TX]] Image:Wildebeest.jpg|A grazing wildebeest Image:WildebeestMigration.jpg|The wildebeest migration in the Serengeti Image:Wildebeest portrait.jpg|White bearded wildebeest, [[Ngorongoro Crater]], Tanzania. </gallery> {{Artiodactyla|R.2}} [[Category:Alcelaphinae]] [[Category:Mammals of Africa]] [[Category:Fauna of South Africa]] [[Category:Fauna of East Africa]] [[Category:Mammals of Kenya]] [[Category:Fauna of Tanzania]] [[Category:Fauna of Angola]] [[Category:Fauna of Zambia]] [[Category:Fauna of Namibia]] [[Category:Megafauna of Africa]] [[bg:Гну]] [[ca:Nyu]] [[da:Gnu]] [[de:Gnus]] [[eo:Gnuo]] [[es:Connochaetes]] [[fi:Gnut]] [[fr:Gnou]] [[gl:Ñu]] [[he:גנו (בעל חיים)]] [[ia:Gnu]] [[io:Gnuo]] [[it:Connochaetes]] [[ja:ヌー]] [[nl:Gnoes]] [[nn:Gnu]] [[no:Gnuer]] [[pt:Gnu]] [[ru:Гну]] [[sr:Гну]] [[sv:Gnuer]] [[tr:Afrika antilopu]] [[zh:角馬]]