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Book your LIONSROCK accommodation here.
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Blue Wildebeest
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Scientific name:
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Connochaetes taurinus
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Average shoulder height:
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Males: 1,40 m
Females: 1,26 m
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Weight:
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Males: 240-250 kg
Females: 180-215 kg
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Gestation period:
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250 days
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Life expectancy:
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15 years
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Appearance
Adult males are dark grey with a silver sheen, black on top of the muzzle and on the forehead, with a russet tinge to the forehead and darker stripes on the sides of the neck, shoulders and chest. Females and juveniles are browner and have more russet on the forehead; calves up to 5-6 months old are fawn all over. There is a mane of long hair on the back of the neck, and a fringe along the throat. The tail has a long whisk of black hair at the end, reaching nearly to the ground. Both sexes have horns, growing sideways from bosses on the forehead, then hooking upwards and inwards. Horns of juveniles grow straight up, and begin to grow sideways at eight months. Females have one pair of mammae between their hind legs.
Behavior
Most active during the day, with peaks of grazing in the early morning and late afternoon. Avoids the midday heat by standing or resting in shade, especially if water is not available; if there is no shade it stands to face the breeze, cooling the blood that flows through the horn bosses.
Social structure varies with locality and in some areas changes seasonally. When food and water are available, females and calves live in herds with fixed home ranges. Outside the breeding season males who do no hold territories may mix with female herds, producing group sizes of up to 30.
Territorial bulls can be recognized by their often being alone, by the mud that sticks to the body and horns after they have rolled in it or horned the ground, and by their holding their heads higher then the others when in a herd. Territories are marked by rubbing pretrial gland secretion, which has s sharp, tarry smell, onto the ground, trees, rocks and other wildebeest. Glands between their front hooves mark the ground as they walk.
Territorial males are solitary unless they have a female herd on their ground. Males without territories mix with females herds outside the breeding season, but are driven out by territorial bulls during the rut. Territorial males herd females and check their reproductive condition by sniffing and flehmen. Cows coming into oestrus are courted by persistent following and mounting attempts and by the male’s rearing up onto his hind legs. Unreceptive females avoid courting males by running away or lying down. Mounting and copulation occur as soon as the female may mate with other bulls in quick succession.
Females usually move out of the herd to give birth. Calves can run within five minutes, and keep pace with adults after a day. Females suckle only their own calves; others trying to steal milk are repelled by a sweep of the horns. They defend their calves against predators.
Reproduction
Gestation 250 days. Births are synchronized, with a sharp peak to saturate predators. Birth weight 22 kg. Weans at 8 months, but up to 16 months if the mother loses her next calf. Females have their first calf at two years, and breed annually.
Diet
A grazer, preferring fresh growth less than 10-15 cm high; bite width is 6,5 cm and it does not select for species or parts. Can survive without water by eating wild melons such as “tsamas”.
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Bank account name:
LIONSROCK PARK
Bank and Code:
First National Bank - South Africa FNB-230133
Account No: 62165825583
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