{"id":1050975,"date":"2026-09-08T14:09:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T14:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1050975\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T14:09:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T14:09:43","slug":"its-top-speed-is-50-miles-per-hour-its-constantly-on-the-move-and-takes-part-in-one-of-the-greatest-spectacles-on-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1050975\/","title":{"rendered":"Its top speed is 50 miles per hour, it’s constantly on the move and takes part in one of the greatest spectacles on the planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wildebeest \u2013 also known as gnu \u2013 are best known for their role in the Great Migration, one of nature\u2019s most iconic spectacles. But there\u2019s far more to these hardy herbivores than epic river crossings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

From their crucial role in maintaining ecosystems to their surprising speed and herd instincts, here are the wildest facts about one of Africa\u2019s most underrated animals.<\/p>\n

Wildebeest facts
\nWildebeest are large antelopes<\/p>\n

Also known as gnu, wildebeest are large, muscular antelopes that weigh between 120 and 300kg. Despite this immense weight, an adult lion<\/a> can eat almost a fifth of this in a single sitting.<\/p>\n

\"BlueBlue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) jumping into Mara river during migration. Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya (credit: Getty Images)
\nScientists aren\u2019t sure why female wildebeest have horns<\/p>\n

Male wildebeest grow distinctive horns to fight off competitors during the mating seasons, but scientists are confused by the presence of horns on their female counterparts. So far, the question of why female wildebeest have horns<\/a> remains a bit of an unknown. It could be that the gene coding for horns<\/a> is linked to the gene for another characteristic, or that horns are a way to defend against predators \u2013 although wildebeest rarely fight a predator head on.<\/p>\n

Wildebeest defend themselves against predators as a group<\/p>\n

Wildebeest outnumber the threat as a herd, protecting themselves as a group rather than fighting them off one by one.<\/p>\n

\"WildebeestWildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) herd during annual migration in the Ndutu region of Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania (credit: Getty Images)
\nMost female wildebeest give birth around the same time<\/p>\n

About 80 percent of female wildebeest calve within the same two to three-week period. This power in numbers allows more calves to survive during these early weeks.<\/p>\n

They are continually on the move<\/p>\n

Wildebeest are believed to travel thousands of kilometres per year, as they\u2019re constantly on the move, looking for grass and water. The Serengeti population is particularly nomadic, migrating distances of between 800 to 1,610km each year. Wildebeest migrations<\/a> are some of the great spectacles of the natural world<\/a> \u2013\u00a0and one of the most amazing mammal migrations<\/a>. They travel from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Mara in Kenya, and back again in time for the rainy season.<\/p>\n

The lethal Mara River is one of the most dangerous parts of a wildebeest\u2019s migration<\/p>\n

Crossing points at the Mara River create bottlenecks for the wildebeest<\/a>. This has devastating effects, including crushes and drownings. Predators such as lions, hyenas and crocodiles often flock to these wildebeest crossings<\/a> to capitalise on the increased prey.<\/p>\n

The largest herd of wildebeest is associated with the Great Migration in East Africa, the largest herd movement of animals on the planet. Over a million wildebeest move constantly through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in search of grass and water, along with zebras<\/a>, gazelles and other animals.<\/p>\n

Wildebeest can\u2019t survive without water<\/p>\n

Like humans, wildebeest can\u2019t survive without drinking water. They need to drink almost every day, so finding water sources is a vital part of their survival.<\/p>\n

\"AA spotted hyena takes down a wildebeest in the Maasai Mara (credit: Getty Images)
\nThey\u2019re vital for the ecosystem of eastern Africa<\/p>\n

Wildebeest are vital for the savannahs<\/a> and grassland<\/a> of Kenya and Tanzania, as their grazing<\/a> reduces overgrown vegetation, which in turn limits the threat of wildfires<\/a>. Their migration also helps aerate the soil, which is then enriched by their dung<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Their population was decimated in the early 20th century \u2013 and their absence was felt<\/p>\n

The Serengeti population of wildebeest consume more than 4,500 tonnes of grass a day \u2013 helping keep vegetation low and limit the threat of wildfires. When the population was decimated by disease transmission from domestic cattle in the early 20th century, the impact was felt on the Serengeti-Mara. 80 per cent of the area was impacted by wildfires during this time. Populations recovered from as few as 200,000 in the late 1950s to 1.5 million in the late 1970s, thanks to disease management and anti-poaching efforts.<\/p>\n

\"AA herd of wildebeest walking in front of a flock of resting flamingos in Masai Mara National Park (credit: Getty Images)
\nTheir name comes from the term \u201cwild beast\u201d<\/p>\n

The name \u201cwildebeest\u201d is Afrikaans for \u201cwild beast\u201d, referring to their beastly appearance.<\/p>\n

Herds of wildebeest are particularly noisy<\/p>\n

Wildebeest are social animals, living in large herds. They moo and grunt like cows, and are especially noisy. During the mating season (rut<\/a>) in May and June, wildebeest are even louder, with males bellowing to attract females and stave off the threat of competitors.<\/p>\n

Wildebeest can run extremely fast<\/p>\n

They can run up to 50mph in short bursts, fast enough to evade many predators.<\/p>\n

A weird antelope that looks like something out of Star Wars has reclaimed the remote Kazakhstan steppe<\/a>
It\u2019s 3 metres long, shaped like a scythe and stuns prey \u2013 this is the longest tail on Earth<\/p>\n

Top image: The Great Migration in Northern Serengeti in Tanzania: Zebras and wildebeest crossing the Mara river (credit: Getty Images)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wildebeest \u2013 also known as gnu \u2013 are best known for their role in the Great Migration, one…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1050976,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[27],"tags":[159,67,132,68,837],"class_list":["post-1050975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-wildlife"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117235824065920357","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1050975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1050976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1050975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1050975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1050975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}