White Bearded Wildebeast

The wildebeest is a herbivore, and almost the whole diet consists of short grasses. Water is an essential requirement. The wildebeest is most active during the morning and late afternoon, and spends the hot hours of the day resting.

The wildebeest form herds when sedentary and move about in loose aggregations. They are fast runners and extremely wary. The wildebeest is a prey item for many large predators. The mating season begins with the end of the rainy season, leading to favourable conditions for breeding.

A single calf is usually born after a gestational period of about eight and a half months. The calf remains with its mother till eight months, after which it joins juvenile herds. Wildebeest are found in short grass plains bordering bush-covered acacia savannas in southern and eastern Africa, thriving in areas that are neither too wet nor too arid.