Wild Wildebeest
by Anna
You’re on a safari and you hear a munching noise. You look around and you catch its eye as it stares at you. You wonder what it is! Read on to learn amazing facts about Wildebeest.
Color Coated Wildebeest have unique looks. They come in different colors like gray, brown and other dark colors. They are about 8 feet tall and 300 to 600 pounds. It has a messy mane and beard. Males and females have horns. They snort, grunt and groan Here are a couple different colors on a wildebeest
Home on the Range Wildebeest live in a couple of places in Africa. They mostly live in the central, eastern and southern part of Africa. They live in the grassland, woodland and savanna. It grazes with herbivores like zebras, antelopes, giraffes and impala. They are mostly found in short grass during winter. In June, they move to water. Wildebeest migrate for many miles. They migrate from the Serengeti Plains to the Masai Mara Plains. Around 350,000 wildebeest migrate. They migrate for water and fresh food.
Munchy Meals Sometimes, wildebeest look long and hard for food. They are herbivores that eat short grass and sprouts. An eating strategy is to follow other herbivores to long grass, the animals eat the long grass, and the wildebeest eat the remaining short grass. Calves drink their mother’s milk. They drink two times a day. Fierce Fighters Wildebeest have fierce predators. Their predators are lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, wild dogs, cheetahs, crocodiles and humans. They work together to avoid predators. They can run around 50 mph to get away from predators. Long Lasting Wildebeest can live for a while but sometimes they get eaten at a young age. Their mating season is from March to June and calves are born from November to December. They have 1 baby and they mate at age 4. Calves can stand a few minutes after birth and they can run around 10 minutes after birth. Around 500,000 calves are born in a 2 to 3 week period. They live for 18 to 20 years. Family Friends Some animals in the wildebeest family don’t look like it. Wildebeest are in the antelope family. It is also called the Gnu. There are two species of wildebeest: the black wildebeest, and the blue wildebeest and the black Wildebeest. Bibliography The Concise Animal Encyclopedia Burne, David China 2003 Habitat and general Information On Wildebeest www. Bio 5/6/10 Blue Wildebeest Http://WackywildlifeWonders.com 4/20/10
Facts about Gnu Http://Lifestyle.IloveIndia.com 4/19/10
Blue Wildebeest Http://Plos.org 4/20/10
Wildebeest diet www.Ehow.com 5/4/10
Wildebeest Http://Naturalia.org 4/18/10
Blue Wildebeest Http://WildlifeSouthAfrica.com 4/19/10