Blue Wildebeest Footprint Cast

$22.00

The Blue Wildebeest, a gregarious, herd-dwelling species, is one of the most abundant of the African bovids. During dry seasons, Wildebeest will make long migrations with individuals numbering into the hundreds of thousands.

Description

Blue Wildebeest Footprint Cast. Animal Tracks are an invaluable asset for science teachers, naturalists and zoos. The Blue Wildebeest Footprint Casts are educational footprint plaques, made of extremely durable polyresin, are actually cast from the authentic footprints left behind by each animal described. Measures 22.5 cm x 16.5 cm or 8.8 x 6.4 inches.

The Blue Wildebeest or Connochaetes taurinus, also called the Common Wildebeest, White-bearded Gnu or Brindled gnu, is a large antelope and one of the two species of wildebeest.

It is placed in the genus Connochaetes and family Bovidae, and has a close taxonomic relationship with the black wildebeest. The Blue Wildebeest or Connochaetes taurinus is known to have five subspecies.

This broad-shouldered antelope has a muscular, front-heavy appearance, with a distinctive, robust muzzle. Young Blue Wildebeest are born tawny brown, and begin to take on their adult coloration at the age of 2 months.

The adults’ hues range from a deep slate or bluish-gray to light gray or even grayish-brown. Both sexes possess a pair of large curved horns.

The Blue Wildebeest or Connochaetes taurinusis a herbivore, feeding primarily on short grasses. It forms herds which move about in loose aggregations, the animals being fast runners and extremely wary.

The mating season begins at the end of the rainy season and a single calf is usually born after a gestational period of about 8.5 months. The calf remains with its mother for 8 months, after which it joins a juvenile herd.

The Blue Wildebeest or Connochaetes taurinusis are found in short-grass plains bordering bush-covered acacia savannas in southern and eastern Africa, thriving in areas that are neither too wet nor too arid.

Three African populations of The Blue Wildebeest or Connochaetes taurinusis take part in a long-distance migration, timed to coincide with the annual pattern of rainfall and grass growth on the short-grass plains where they can find the nutrient-rich forage necessary for lactation and calf growth.

The Blue Wildebeest or Connochaetes taurinusis is native to Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Today, it is extinct in Malawi, but has been successfully reintroduced in Namibia. Their average lifespan is around 20 years.

Blue Wildebeest Facts:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Alcelaphinae
Genus: Connochaetes
Species: Connochaetes gnou
Conservation status: Least concern

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Additional information

Weight 2 lbs
Dimensions 3.3 × 5.1 in