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The "Wildebeest Slam"


Safaridude

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I am fortunate enough to have seen all six different wildebeests in the wild (black wildebeest and five subspecies of common wildebeest). Here they are:

 

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Black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou), Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, South Africa

 

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Blue wildebeest (or brindled gnu) (C. taurinus taurinus), Kruger National Park, South Africa

 

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Western white-bearded wildebeest (C. t. mearnsi), Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

 

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Eastern white-bearded wildebeest (C. t. albojubatus), Amboseli National Park, Kenya

 

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Cookson's wildebeest (C. t. cooksoni), South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

 

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Nyassa (or Johnston's) wildebeest (C. t. johnstoni), Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania

Edited by Safaridude
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I've always thought that there was something quite extraordinary about the black wildebeest, it's horns so differently shaped and when I've seen videos of them running they look incredible.

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@@twaffle

 

Black wildebeests are extraordinary indeed. They are pretty cool. They look downright medieval.

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madaboutcheetah

So, the ones in Northern Botswana will be the blue wildebeest also?

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So, the ones in Northern Botswana will be the blue wildebeest also?

 

@@madaboutcheetah

 

Yes, the blue wildebeest has the largest range (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia (but not including the Luangwa parks, the domain of Cookson's wildebeest) and Southern Mozambique (there are Nyassa wildebeest in the north).

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@@madaboutcheetah

 

And by the way, there are many publications that use the term "blue wildebeest" in place of "common wildebeest" to describe any wildebeest other than black wildebeest. This is still accepted, I suppose, but "not really correct", since blue wildebeest is technically a subspecies (or race) of common wildebeest.

 

So, again, a "more correct" way to classify wildebeest is… black wildebeest and common wildebeest as separate species; and common wildebeest containing five subspecies (or races)… blue, western white-bearded, eastern-white bearded, Cookson's and Nyassa (or Johnston's).

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Very interesting to see them one after the other, in your post and to understand better the classification. Thanks @@Safaridude.

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madaboutcheetah

Thanks for the Wildebeest 101 lesson @@Safaridude - noted!!! and btw, the black wildebeest is awesome!!!

But, I must first find me the elusive Aardvark ..... then, shall chase all the rest ;)

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There is more to a wildebeest than meets the eye.

 

Good stuff @Safaridude

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  • 10 months later...
Morkel Erasmus

Cool "slam" here!!

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Very cool! This is a great side-by-side comparison - I've got some catching up to do!

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The handbook of mammals, which happily splits lots of African hoofed mammals (8 species of bushbuck, 4 species of greater kudu) also splits there blue wildebeests at the species level. But oddly they lump cookson's and Johnston's wildebeest and make no mention of the obvious visible difference between the two.They do mention that the type specimen had a white band across the face in front of the eyes, but then mention that it is rare in surviving populations. Looking at pictures of Nyasa wildebeest it is obvious that not all have this wide band, and there is quite some variation in the width of the band. However, I've never seen the white band in Cookson's wildebeest, and their distributions are quite disjunct, although it would be interesting if there are old pictures/skins/trophies from wildebeest in the southern part of Malawi.

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COSMIC RHINO

Great photos , good to see them one after another

 

it is called a slam, is anyone good at writing poetry ?

 

 

I am not

Edited by COSMIC RHINO
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