Black Wildebeest: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Antelopes of Africa · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. Its long, bright-white tail looks like a horse's. That tail earned it a second name, the white-tailed gnu.
2. It can run at 80 km/h. If a person comes near, the herd snorts, dashes a short way, then stops to look back.
3. One of its calls is a metallic snort, an echoing 'hick', that can carry up to 1.5 km.
4. Cattle egrets often walk with the herds. They eat insects hiding in the wildebeest's coat or flushed out as they move.
5. In one study in a place with no shade, females fed mostly at night. The hotter it got, the more of them grazed after dark.

The quiz

1. What is another name for the black wildebeest?

• Spotted gnu
• Horned horse
• White-tailed gnu (correct)
• Blue gnu

Its bright-white, horse-like tail gives it the name white-tailed gnu.

2. What do black wildebeest do when a person comes near?

• Snort, run a short way, then stop and look back (correct)
• Lie down and play dead
• Charge straight at the person
• Hide in the water

They snort, dash off a short distance, then stop and look back.

3. How far away can its echoing 'hick' call be heard?

• Up to 1.5 m
• Up to 15 m
• Up to 150 km
• Up to 1.5 km (correct)

This metallic call carries as far as 1.5 km.

4. Which bird often walks with black wildebeest herds?

• The flamingo
• The cattle egret (correct)
• The penguin
• The owl

Cattle egrets eat insects from their coats or stirred up by their movements.

5. In the study in a shadeless place, when did the females feed most?

• At noon
• At night (correct)
• Only on rainy days
• Only at sunrise

They fed mostly at night, and more did so as it got hotter.

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