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| Black Wildebeest | |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Alcelaphinae |
| Genus: | Connochaetes |
| Species: | C. gnou |
| Binomial name | |
| Connochaetes gnou (Zimmermann, 1780) |
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The Black Wildebeest or White-tailed Gnu (Connochaetes gnou) is one of two wildebeest species. The natural populations of this species, endemic to the southern part of Africa, have been almost completely exterminated, but the species has been reintroduced widely, both in private areas and nature reserves throughout most of Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia and Kenya. It was also introduced outside its natural range (Wilson & Reeder, 1993; East, 1989, 1996).[Full citation needed]
The primal herds were exterminated, being seen as pests, with the secondary advantage of using the hides and meat. Thus this animal exists primarily in herds derived from captive specimens.
Its preferred habitat types are grassveld savanna and Karoo of the central South Africa plateau (Lynch, 1983; von Richter, 1974).[Full citation needed]
The one other species of genus Connochaetes is the Blue Wildebeest, which has a more northerly range.
References in literature
In his biographical book Beasts in My Belfry, naturalist, zookeeper, and author Gerald Durrell devotes a chapter to his experiences with this species.
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