Whichever way you look at them Black Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) do not look like well-proportioned creatures. For a start, their heads seem to be too heavy and are covered with a shaggy fringe – see the tuft of stiff black hair on the top of the muzzle, the black beard and long fringe running underneath the neck all the way to the forelegs; their curving horns are close together at the base then curve outward, inward and slightly backward; their legs look delicate in relation to the rest of their bodies; most look as though the bones on their rumps are sticking out – unlike the sleekness of zebras or the well filled-out look of buffalo – and so, to my mind they look rather sad as if they were put together out of left overs.

It is when they raise their heads that one can appreciate their erect mane and long whitish tail – the latter has caused them to be known as White-tailed Gnu in some quarters.

Black Wildebeest are endemic to this country and prefer open grassland, where the vision is good. Herds of them roam these plains, with dominant bulls remaining in an area to defend their territory even once the others have moved on.

Regular readers will know that I derive a lot of satisfaction from finding out the derivation of the scientific names of plants, animals and birds. In the case of the Black Wildebeest, Connochaetes comes from the Greek word kónnos, which means ‘beard’, and gnou is an onomatopoeic Khoi-khoi word to describe the honking call these animals make, which is described as ge-nu.

It is amusing to watch the behaviour of Black Wildebeest when they feel threatened for they tend to gallop around in a circle or stand with their forelegs on the ground whilst kicking with their hind legs. They quickly run forward for a distance then stop to turn and look back to where they came from. To our eyes, this behaviour appears to be rather clown-like!

NOTE: Click on the photographs should you wish to see a larger image.