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Gnu, wildebeest - CONNOCHAETES TAURINUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Gnu": "Gnu" comes from the southern African Kaffir word "nqu." "Wildebeest" is the Afrikaans (South African Dutch) word for "wild animal."
Location: Southeastern Africa.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Savanna and plains.
Description: This antelope looks markedly bovine, heavily built and of clumsy appearance. The head is massive with a broad muzzle and a median tuft of hairs. Under the throat, there is a beard of stiff black or white hairs. The forequarters are disproportionately heavy in relation to the hindquarters, and this imbalance is accentuated by its long mane. The tail is long and black, and ends in long, course hair. The horns, which occur in both sexes, have a distinctive curved shape. The gnu can reach eight feet long, over four feet at the shoulder, and they can weigh over 600 pounds.
Behavior: The gnu is active both day and night, constantly moving. It generally lives in herds numbering several thousand. In periods of drought the herd moves toward watering holes during dry weather, but when the rains arrive the herds tend to scatter. It feeds mainly on grass, showing distinct preferences for certain kinds of grass. In the breeding period the males strive to isolate harems of females. After a few hours or days they rejoin the main herd. The gnu is a major prey species for many of the large predators, including lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs.
Reproduction: The single calf is born in February or March after about a 9 to 10-month gestation, and it is up and running within 30 minutes of birth.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
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