What is Wildebeest?
{{about|the animal|the GNU project (computer science)|GNU}} {{Taxobox | name = Wildebeest | image = Black-wildebeest-aka-gnu.jpg | image_width = 260px | image_caption = [[Blue wildebeest]] | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | subphylum = [[Vertebrate|Vertebrata]] | classis = [[Mammal]]ia | ordo = [[Even-toed ungulate|Artiodactyla]] | familia = [[Bovidae]] | genus = '''''Connochaetes'''''}} A '''wildebeest''' (or '''gnu''') is an [[animal]]. It is a large hoofed [[mammal]] in the [[Bovidae]] family. There are two [[species]] of wildebeest. Both live in [[Africa]]. ==Taxonomy== * Genus ''Connochaetes'' **[[Blue wildebeest]] or brindled gnu (''Connochaetes taurinus'') **[[Black wildebeest]] or white-tailed gnu (''Connochaetes gnou'') ==Size== Wildebeest grow to 1.15 to 1.40 [[metre]]s (at the [[shoulder]]) and they weigh between 150 and 250 [[kilogram]]s when they are fully grown. They live in the [[plain]]s and open [[woodland]]s in [[southern Africa]]. The biggest herds can be found in the [[Serengeti]]. Wildebeest can live for more than 20 years. ==What they eat== Like other members of the same family ([[antelope]]s, [[deer]] and [[wild goat|goat]]s, amongst others), they mainly eat [[grass]]. But since in the African grasslands, there is not always grass, wildebeest are forced to [[migrate]] to find food all year round. In May, about 1.5 million animals move from the grasslands to the woods. In November they move back; there is grass in the [[plains]] in summer. ==Breeding and mating season== [[Image:Wilderbeest.jpg|thumb|200px|Blue wildebeest (''Connochaetes taurinus'')]] The cows (female Gnus) will calve (give [[birth]] to the young) in summer in the plains. After the females have given birth, the breeding season begins. The [[dominant]] males mark off (and defend) some territory. They do this with [[feces]], and with [[scent]]. Wildebeest are an important part of the [[ecosystem]]. With their feces, they fertilize the ground, and their trampling is good for new growth. They also provide food for [[predators]], li