Gnu
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GNU, the Hottentot name for the large white-tailed South African antelope, now nearly extinct, know to the Boers as the black wildebeest, and to naturalists as Connochaetes (or Catoblepas) gnu.
Gnu
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
(n) or wildebeest(wl´dbst´´), large African antelope, genus Connochaetes.
Gnu or Wildebeest
The Gnu or Wildebeest is a fast-running plant-eater from eastern African grasslands. The name wildebeest means "wild beast" in the language Afrikaans. Wildebeests gather in enormous herds of up to a million animals.
Gnu Oxlike South African antelope with a heavy head looks like that of a Buffalo; compact, short, erect mane, oxlike body; and long, flowing tail. Both sexes have large horns that curve first down, then outward, then up.
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Brindled gnu, Blue wildebeest
Taxonomy Connochaetes taurinus [Burchell, 1823]. Citation: Travels in Interior of Southern Africa, 2:278(footnote) [1824]. Type locality: South Africa, Cape Prov., Kuruman, Khosis.
Extinct in Malawi, this gnu still ranges in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe (East, 1996; Wilson & Reeder, 1993) with its southernmost limit along the Orange River (Estes, 1991).
The animal is sometimes called a Gnu. The images shown here were taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and EF 500 mm F/4 L IS lens and 1.4X in January, 2006.
GNU Free Documentation License. (view image details)
MAMMAL FACTS ...
'Gnu' is from a Khoikhoi language, which likely imitated it from the grunt-type noise that a wildebeest makes.
The gnu (pronounced "g-new" or simply "new") is a member of the antelope family, although its heavy build and disproportionately large forequarters make it look more bovine. Gnus can reach 8 feet (2.4 meters) in length, stand 4.
strip-gnu
the strip-gnu occurs in the south and southeast of Africa in 5 subtypes, of which the white-beard-gnu (Connochaetus t). albojubatus, the most known is...
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Brindled gnu,
White-bearded wildebeest
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The name gnu comes from a Bushman word for the wildebeest's bellow.
Only one in every six calves survives its first year.
Both males and females have horns, although the male's horns are thicker and heavier than the female's..
White-bearded gnu have increased greatly in number in recent years. In 1950, a census revealed approximately 100,000 individuals in the Serengeti region; today about 1.5 million white-bearded wildebeest are believed to be present.
The English name 'brindled' gnu refer to the dark vertical stripes, caused by skin-rimples, on either side of the neck and shoulders, whereas 'gnu' refers to the bulking sound of the animal.
Squat and muscular, the ratel is ready for battle, having been known to attack animals much larger than itself such as the African buffalo, the gnu, or waterbuck. The ratel is omnivorous.
wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus): Also called a gnu, this strange-looking, migratory animal is the most abundant antelope on East and southern African plains. It is an important food for lions.
They prefer wildebeest (or gnu) to all others when the annual migration brings the vast herds through the pride's range. Otherwise they eat buffalo, zebra, antelope, giraffe, and warthogs. They also steal kills and carrion from other predators.
The species that forms the large herds of the Serengetis-Mara ecosystem of Tanzania and Kenya is variously known as the brindled, blue- or white-bearded gnu.
Adapted from Wikipedia.org. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Grooming: ...
There are two species: the common wildebeest of central Africa and the black wildebeest of South Africa. Another name for wildebeest is gnu.
running at great speed when pursued and will usually make a large circle at full pace before ending up in the place they started from. They have a white tail, traditionally used by tribal chiefs as fly whisks, and are the originators of the name GNU ...
Licenses that are acceptable include the GNU Free Documentation License, Creative Commons Attribution and Attribution/ShareAlike licenses,[7] other free content and free software licenses, and the public domain.
 See also: Crustacean, Diver, Shark, Shell, Genet
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