Where does the blue wildebeest live?
The blue wildebeest lives in East Africa, Southern Africa and South Africa: it is found on short-grass plains bordering acacia savannas, in areas that are neither too wet nor too dry. It lives in vast herds in grassy and wooded savannas, where it makes great, spectacular migrations. It is a large antelope with broad shoulders and a muscular, front-heavy look.
What does the blue wildebeest eat?
The blue wildebeest is a herbivore that feeds mainly on short grass. It forms herds, and the animals are fast runners and very wary. In Serengeti National Park, it spends over half its time resting, 33% grazing and 12% moving, mostly walking. Its muscles are among the most efficient: 62.6% of the energy is converted into movement.
Is the blue wildebeest endangered?
It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but its populations face human-related threats: large-scale deforestation, drying up of water sources, expanding settlements and poaching. Fences that cut migration routes have caused mass deaths. In the Maasai Mara ecosystem, the population fell by about 80%, from around 119,000 individuals in 1977 to around 22,000 twenty years later.
