The White-Bearded Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus) is a large, horned herbivorous (grass-eating) mammal in the Bovidae family of antelopes and cattle. It is also called the White-Bearded Gnu. It is an ungulate mammal because it is hoofed.

Connos means beard; chaetus means flowing hair; taurinus means bull-like; and albojubatus means white-bearded. This equals ‘bull-like animal with a flowing white beard.’

The White-Bearded Wildebeest can grow to about 130 centimetres (51 inches) at the shoulder.

The White-Bearded Wildebeest is common in Africa, in countries such as  southern Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia. It lives in herds on the grassy plains  near water.

It can run up to 65 kilometres per hour (40 miles per hour). It is not really built for speed – it is built to wrestle. It is the ‘wrestler of the plains.’

It is a herbivore, eating grass. Its predators include lions, cheetahs, and hyenas.

The female White-Bearded Wildebeest is pregnant for 8.5 months, before giving birth to one live young, called a calf.

It lives for about 20 years in the wild.

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM