---
title: "Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "A bearded grassland grazer whose foreleg muscle is substantially more efficient than a cow's."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/blue-wildebeest-1.webp"
published: "2026-10-11"
updated: "2026-10-11"
---
# Blue Wildebeest (*Connochaetes taurinus*)
> **Status**: Checked against 6 sources, listed under Sources below.
> **Tagline**: A bearded grassland grazer whose foreleg muscle is substantially more efficient than a cow's.
> **Soundtrack Vibe**: IDM & Glitch Ambient Synthesis // Caterina Barbieri, "Fantas"
> **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/4mrRhrbG2o102StszS7I8y)
> **Vibe Match**: In one study, GPS-collared blue wildebeest walked up to 80 km over five days without drinking, and their foreleg muscle is substantially more efficient than a cow's. Caterina Barbieri's Fantas runs on sequenced synth patterns that repeat and slowly shift for minutes on end without a break.
## Biological Superpowers & Stats
- **Taxonomy**: *Connochaetes taurinus*
- **Danger Level**: Medium
- **Conservation Status**: Least Concern ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-2.rlts.t5229a163322525.en))
- **Superpower**: Forelimb muscle that works at 62.6% efficiency, against 41.8% in a cow's
- **Habitat**: Habitats from dense bush to open woodland floodplains, in eastern and southern Africa from Kenya to eastern Namibia
- **Diet**: Mostly rapidly growing grasses, plus leaves from shrubs and trees when grass is sparse
- **Tags**: mammal, ungulate, herbivore, savanna, migratory, horns
## Natural History & Behavior
## Built to March
In hot, dry Northern Botswana, GPS-collared wildebeest walked up to 80 km over five days without drinking. Scientists also measured the efficiency of a foreleg muscle from wildebeest and from domestic cows, which are much larger and relatively sedentary.
> **Efficient muscle**
> Wildebeest muscle was substantially more efficient (62.6%) than the same muscle from much larger cows (41.8%).
## Size and Looks
A blue wildebeest is slate gray with tan forelegs and dark vertical stripes on the shoulders and back. It has cow-like horns, a mane and a beard. Males stand about 130 cm tall at the shoulder and weigh 210 to 260 kg, and adult males are generally darker than females. Across the species, Animal Diversity Web gives a mass range of 118 to 270 kg. The AnAge database records one captive blue wildebeest that lived 24.3 years.
## Grass, Range and Predators
Blue wildebeest are common in eastern and southern Africa, from Kenya to eastern Namibia. The Orange River in South Africa borders their southern range. They live in habitats from dense bush to open woodland floodplains, but seem to prefer acacia savannas and plains with fast-regrowing grass.
They are grazers. Their main food is rapidly growing grasses, and when grass is sparse they may eat leaves off shrubs and trees.
Lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs are their major predators. When one is spotted, wildebeest bunch together, stamp and give loud, shrill alarm calls. Herds are generally made up of about 8 females and their calves, with territorial bulls wandering among them. Mothers often defend their calves successfully against individual hyenas or cheetahs.
## The Great Crossing
The annual migration of about 1.2 million wildebeest through the Serengeti Mara ecosystem is, a 2017 study says, the largest remaining overland migration in the world. When the migration crosses the Mara River, thousands drown each year. The same study found mass drownings of more than 100 animals in at least 13 of the 15 years before it, and on average 6,250 carcasses entering the river each year. Half of a wildebeest carcass's dry mass is bone, which takes 7 years to decompose.
The IUCN Red List rates the blue wildebeest Least Concern.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### How soon can a newborn wildebeest calf stand?
Within about six minutes, according to Animal Diversity Web. An average newborn weighs about 19 kg. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan]())*
### How far can a wildebeest's bellow be heard?
A male's bellow can carry up to 2 km, says Animal Diversity Web. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan]())*
### Is the blue wildebeest endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List's 2016 assessment rates it Least Concern. *(Source: [The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016]())*
## Sources
1. [Connochaetes taurinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T5229A163322525.]()
2. [Curtin et al. (2018). Remarkable muscles, remarkable locomotion in desert-dwelling wildebeest. Nature.]()
3. [Connochaetes taurinus (blue wildebeest). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]()
4. [Ackermann et al. (2010). Hybrid wildebeest (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) provide further evidence for shared signatures of admixture in mammalian crania. South African Journal of Science.]()
5. [AnAge entry for Connochaetes taurinus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.]()
6. [Subalusky et al. (2017). Annual mass drownings of the Serengeti wildebeest migration influence nutrient cycling and storage in the Mara River. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.]()
*Published October 11, 2026. Last updated October 11, 2026.*
```json
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "Article",
"@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/blue-wildebeest/#article",
"isPartOf": {
"@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#website"
},
"headline": "Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) | AnimalTracks.wiki",
"description": "A bearded grassland grazer whose foreleg muscle is substantially more efficient than a cow's.",
"image": [
"https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/blue-wildebeest-1.webp"
],
"datePublished": "2026-10-11",
"dateModified": "2026-10-11",
"author": [
{
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "AnimalTracks.wiki Editorial Team",
"url": "https://animaltracks.wiki"
}
],
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#organization",
"name": "AnimalTracks.wiki",
"url": "https://animaltracks.wiki",
"logo": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/icon-512.png"
}
},
"mainEntityOfPage": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/blue-wildebeest/",
"citation": [
{
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Connochaetes taurinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T5229A163322525",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-2.rlts.t5229a163322525.en",
"datePublished": "2016",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-2.rlts.t5229a163322525.en"
},
{
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Remarkable muscles, remarkable locomotion in desert-dwelling wildebeest",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0602-4",
"author": "Curtin et al.",
"datePublished": "2018",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "Nature"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0602-4"
},
{
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Connochaetes taurinus (blue wildebeest)",
"url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Connochaetes_taurinus/",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan"
}
},
{
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Hybrid wildebeest (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) provide further evidence for shared signatures of admixture in mammalian crania",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.4102/sajs.v106i11/12.423",
"author": "Ackermann et al.",
"datePublished": "2010",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "South African Journal of Science"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.4102/sajs.v106i11/12.423"
},
{
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "AnAge entry for Connochaetes taurinus",
"url": "https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Connochaetes_taurinus",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources"
}
},
{
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Annual mass drownings of the Serengeti wildebeest migration influence nutrient cycling and storage in the Mara River",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1614778114",
"author": "Subalusky et al.",
"datePublished": "2017",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.1073/pnas.1614778114"
}
],
"about": {
"@type": "Taxon",
"name": "Blue Wildebeest",
"scientificName": "Connochaetes taurinus",
"description": "Forelimb muscle that works at 62.6% efficiency, against 41.8% in a cow's"
}
},
{
"@type": "FAQPage",
"@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/blue-wildebeest/#faq",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How soon can a newborn wildebeest calf stand?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Within about six minutes, according to Animal Diversity Web. An average newborn weighs about 19 kg.",
"citation": {
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Connochaetes taurinus (blue wildebeest)",
"url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Connochaetes_taurinus/",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan"
}
}
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How far can a wildebeest's bellow be heard?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "A male's bellow can carry up to 2 km, says Animal Diversity Web.",
"citation": {
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Connochaetes taurinus (blue wildebeest)",
"url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Connochaetes_taurinus/",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan"
}
}
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Is the blue wildebeest endangered?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "No. The IUCN Red List's 2016 assessment rates it Least Concern.",
"citation": {
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Connochaetes taurinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T5229A163322525",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-2.rlts.t5229a163322525.en",
"datePublished": "2016",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-2.rlts.t5229a163322525.en"
}
}
}
]
},
{
"@type": "MusicRecording",
"name": "Fantas",
"byArtist": {
"@type": "MusicGroup",
"name": "Caterina Barbieri"
},
"genre": "IDM & Glitch Ambient Synthesis",
"url": "https://open.spotify.com/track/4mrRhrbG2o102StszS7I8y"
}
]
}
```