The Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), also called the common wildebeest, white-bearded wildebeest, brindled gnu, or blue gnu, is a species of antelope native to Eastern and Southern Africa. They are herd animals living in large herds. Each year they merge herds and migrate from the savannas of Kenya to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. This migrating phenomenon is so big, you can see it from Outer space. When they get to Tanzania, they mate, have their babies,and graze across the plains. Along the journey, they have to face many heart ships such as predators. Weighing up to 600 lbs, most carnivores see them as a meal. This includes lions, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, crocodiles, and wild dogs, with jackals preying on the young and vultures preying on the dead. But they have lots of eyes on the lookout and while lots of them are grazing, some are on high alert, sensing for danger. Even Grant's zebras and Thomson's gazelles will migrate with them and keep a lookout, too. Each year, the males battle each other for a harem of females to mate with. It gets really extreme when they get down on their knees and joust at each other. Because of this, male wildebeests have strong padding on their knees and incredibly reinforced skulls.
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