Serengeti National Park
Tanzania
East Africa
Blue wildebeest waiting with others to cross the Mara River.
The wildebeest also called the gnu is an antelope in the genus Connochaetes native to Eastern and Southern Africa. It belongs to the family Bovidae, which includes antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed horned ungulates. Connochaetes includes two species, both native to Africa: the black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (C. gnou), and the blue wildebeest or brindled gnu (C. taurinus).
In East Africa, the blue wildebeest is the most abundant big-game species; some populations perform an annual migration to new grazing grounds, but the black wildebeest is merely nomadic. Breeding in both takes place over a short period of time at the end of the rainy season and the calves are soon active and are able to move with the herd, a fact necessary for their survival. Nevertheless, some fall prey to large carnivores, especially the spotted hyena.
Wildebeest often graze in mixed herds with zebra, which gives heightened awareness of potential predators. They are also alert to the warning signals emitted by other animals such as baboons. Some illegal hunting goes on but the population trend is fairly stable and some populations are in national parks or on private land. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists both as least-concern species. - Wikipedia
Tags: Tanzania 2010 Serengeti National Park Tanzania East Africa Blue Wildebeest Gnu Family Bovidae genus Connochaetes C. t. albojubatu Even-toed Ungulates Big Game Species Graze In Mixed Herds With Zebra IUCN Least Concern Sue Roehl Pentax K7 Handheld coth5 NGC Sunrays+5 NPC
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Converging on the Masai Mara River during migration.
Click on photo to see larger image. Not easy to get closeups of a large group of animals.
Tags: Kenya2010
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We were in Kenya during the time of the great migration. These animals were near the Mara river ready to cross when the zebras got spooked.
Tags: Kenya 2010
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At the wildebeest crossing in Kenya.
Tags: Kenya 2010
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Wildebeest and zebra at the Mara River waiting to cross to the other side. Wildebeest and zebra travel together during the great migration which happens twice a year traveling from Tanzania to Kenya and visa versa across the border between the two countries. I am sure you have seen this migration on the nature channels where the crocodiles lay in wait for their animal prey.
Tags: Kenya 2010 Wildebeest Zebra Crossing Mara River Tanzania Kenya Great Migration TwiceAYear Crocodile SpecAnimal NGC
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