Black Wildebeest
Connochaetes gnou
🤘
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Pecora
Bovidae
Connochaetes
Connochaetes gnou
The Black Wildebeest, Connochaetes gnou, is a swift and social antelope of southern Africa’s grasslands, recognized for its dark coat, tufted tail, and forward-curving horns. Once nearly hunted to extinction, it now stands as a conservation success story, symbolizing the resilience of Africa’s open plains fauna.
Description
Black Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) — The Black Wildebeest is one of two extant wildebeest species, native to the open grasslands and Karoo scrub of South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. Distinguished by its dark brown to black coat, shaggy mane, and characteristic white tail, it has a muscular build adapted for endurance running and high-speed escape from predators.
Adult males possess thick, forward-curving horns that form a crescent shape, while females’ horns are thinner and shorter. The species is highly social, forming herds of up to several dozen individuals. Historically migratory, it once ranged widely across the Highveld before extensive hunting and land conversion confined it to a fraction of its range. Modern conservation and reintroduction efforts have successfully restored populations in reserves and private lands.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
250
1.4
2.1
2.3
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
Prehistoric hunter-gatherers of southern Africa regularly hunted Connochaetes gnou for meat and hides. The species’ predictable grazing routes and large herd sizes made it a primary target during seasonal hunts. Early humans used wooden and stone-tipped spears, coordinated drives, and pitfall traps along migration paths.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Nelson Bay Cave, South Africa – Late Pleistocene layers (~25,000 BP) contain Connochaetes bones with cut marks from stone tools, suggesting systematic butchery.
Klasies River Caves, Eastern Cape – Early modern human occupation (~80,000 BP) includes wildebeest remains, indicating active hunting of large grazing mammals.
Boomplaas Cave, Western Cape – Holocene strata (~7,000 BP) feature black wildebeest bones in domestic hearth contexts, evidencing sustained subsistence use.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
Africa
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
10.8
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/backfat, marrow, mesenteric fat
Adipose Depots
Hump/backfat, mesenteric, perirenal; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Hump/backfat & marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4