Blue wildebeest hunts in South Africa with South African Hunting Safaris.

Blue Wildebeest
(Connochaetes taurinus)

The range of the wildebeest includes the plains and acacia savannas of eastern Africa. This range extends from the equator to the tip of South Africa.

Wildebeests thrive in areas that are neither too wet nor too dry. They can be found in places that vary from overgrazed areas with dense bush to open woodland floodplains. Wildebeests prefer the bushlands and grasslands of the southern savannah.

The blue wildebeest is a large antelope, weighing up to 270kg. It has a large muzzle and cow-like horns. The horns are long without ridges and the males' horns are thicker with the appearance of a boss. Blue wildebeest have short hair covering their bodies, and their colour ranges from slate grey to dark brown, with males darker than females. There are also black vertical stripes of longer hair on their back. Blue wildebeests also have black faces, manes, and tails.

Unlike most African mammals, the blue wildebeest has a three week period in which most of the young are born. The conception rate among wildebeests is very high because their sexual peak is associated with good climate conditions. The sexual peak occurs at the end of the rains and the animals are in good condition.

Young males form bachelor herds. When males reach the age of four or five, they leave the bachelor groups and become territorial.

The beginning of rut in wildebeests is associated with the full moon. Territorial bulls, however, are always ready to mate.

The wildebeest is a grazing animal. They need water almost daily. Blue wildebeest feed primarily in the morning and afternoon.

A most unusual looking animal, the Blue Wildebeest is an animal commonly sought after on hunts with our clients at South African Hunting Safaris.