Wildebeest Profile

The name wildebeest (lit. “wild animal” or “cattle”)stems from South African Dutch and Afrikaans.  An alternate spelling is “wildebeest.” The wildebeest, also known as the gnu is a large ungulate (hooved) antelope (genus Connochaetes)."Gnu" is likely an imitation of the wildebeest’s characteristic grunting in the Khoikhoi language

The wildebeest’s height is 45-55 inches at the shoulder.  It averages 350- 550 pounds.

Its habitat consists of grassy plains and open woodlands in southern, central, and eastern Africa.

Wildebeeste mainly eat grass. Their life span in captivity can be as much as 21 years.

Female wildebeest (cows) are smaller than the male and have horns.  Males (bulls) also have horns.

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