The Migration Begins
Wildebeest and zebras assemble on the savanna for their migration from Kenya's Maasai Mara to Tanzania's Serengeti.
The Great Wildebeest Migration @ Serengeti National Park, Tanzania-6139
The October - November migration was just starting when this photo was shot.
The Great Wildebeest Migration in the Serengeti is the largest single movement of wild animals in the world, deservedly listed as one of its eight Natural Wonders and an exceptional inspiration for a dream nature tour of northern Tanzania with AfricanMecca. Around 1.5 million wildebeests, with hundreds of thousands of zebras, elands, gazelles along with a trailing retinue of predators, leave their calving grounds in southern Serengeti, around March and April, heading for the next water source.
Trekking via the south-central Seronera outskirts into the Western Corridor and Grumeti River arriving during the month of April to May and residing till June, and then finally towards the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya crossing the perilous Mara River around July or August onwards with a return via the same death-defying river, this time heading to the bearing of Lobo and Loliondo in eastern Serengeti around October to November.
Before the Migration
Wildebeest and zebras graze on the savanna in the Maasai Mara preparing for the annual migration into the Serengeti.
South Africa - Kruger National Park
Burchell's Zebra and Blue Wildebeest
Steppenzebra und Streifengnu
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19,485 km2 (7,523 sq mi) in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends 360 km (220 mi) from north to south and 65 km (40 mi) from east to west. The administrative headquarters are in Skukuza. Areas of the park were first protected by the government of the South African Republic in 1898, and it became South Africa's first national park in 1926.
To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is Mozambique. It is now part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace park that links Kruger National Park with the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and with the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.
The park is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere an area designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve (the "Biosphere").
The park has nine main gates allowing entrance to the different camps.
(Wikipedia)
Burchell's zebra (Equus quagga burchellii) is a southern subspecies of the plains zebra. It is named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell. Common names include the bontequagga, Damaraland zebra, and Zululand zebra (Gray, 1824). Burchell's zebra is the only subspecies of zebra which may be legally farmed for human consumption.
Like most plains zebras, females and males are relatively the same size, standing 1.1 to 1.4 meters (3.75 to 4.6 feet) at the shoulder. They weigh between 485 to 550 pounds. Year-round reproduction observed in this subspecies in Etosha National Park, Namibia, concludes synchronization of a time budget between males and females, possibly explaining the lack of sexual dimorphism.
Damara zebras are described as being striped on the head, the neck, and the flanks, and sparsely down the upper segments of the limbs then fading to white. One or two shadow stripes rest between the bold, broad stripes on the haunch. This main, distinguishing characteristic sets the Zuzuland Zebra apart from the other subspecies. Gray (1824), observed a distinct dorsal line, the tail only bristly at the end, and the body distinctly white. The dorsal line is narrow and becomes gradually broader in the hinder part, distinctly margined with white on each side.
Like most plains zebras, Burchells live in small family groups. These can be either harem or bachelor groups, with harem groups consisting of one stallion and one to six mares and their most recent foals, and bachelor groups containing two to eight unattached stallions. The males in bachelor herds are often the younger or older stallions of the population, as they are most likely not experienced enough or strong enough to defend breeding rights to a group of females from challengers. These small groups often congregate together in larger herds around water and food sources, but still maintain their identity as family units while in the population gatherings.
Formerly, the Burchell's zebra range was centered north of the Vaal/Orange river system, extending northwest via southern Botswana to Etosha and the Kaokoveld, and southeast to Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal. Now extinct in the middle portion, it survives at the northwestern and southeastern ends of the distribution.
Burchell's zebra migrates the longest distance of any terrestrial animal in Africa, traveling 160 miles one way. They migrate from the Chobe River in Namibia to Nxai Pan National Park in Botswana. Their migration follows a straight north–south route almost entirely within the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA).
Like other plains zebras, Burchell's zebras must have populated the African plains in impressive numbers. Associations of thousands have been reported. The wild herds were thought to have disappeared by 1910, and the last known captive individual died in the Berlin Zoo in 1918. As European settlement spread northward from the Cape to colonial southern Rhodesia, this subspecies was thought to have been hunted to extinction.
However, Groves and Bell concluded in their 2004 publication that "the extinct true Burchell's zebra" is a phantom. Careful study of the original zebra populations in Zululand and Swaziland, and of skins harvested on game farms in Zululand and Natal, has revealed that a certain small proportion shows similarity to what now is regarded as typical burchellii. The type localities of the two subspecies Equus quagga burchellii (Burchell's zebra) and Equus quagga antiquorum (Damaraland zebra) are so close to each other that they suggest that the two are in fact one, and therefore the older of the two names should take precedence over the younger. They therefore say that the correct name for the southernmost subspecies must be burchellii, not antiquorum.[9] The subspecies Equus quagga burchellii still exists in KwaZulu-Natal and in Etosha. Equus quagga burchellii can be found in a number of zoos in the United States including the following: the Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Naples Zoo, Nashville Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, etc.
(Wikipedia)
Name
Blue Wildebeest or Common or White-bearded Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
Appearance
The dark silver-grey body is marked with dark vertical bands on the front quarters. Blue wildebeest are characterised by a long black mane and a beard of hair hanging from the throat and neck. Both sexes grow short curved horns. In adult bulls the horns are heavily bossed. Bulls weigh 250 kg and measures 1.5 m at the shoulders. Cows are slightly smaller, measuring 1.4 m at the shoulder and with a mass of 180 kg.
Breeding
Blue Wildebeest are seasonal breeders. Births of single calves per cow occur during summer after a gestation period of nine months. Calves can run with the herd within minutes after birth.
Behaviour
Seasonal migration was an optimised survival strategy which allowed the effective use of resources over larger areas and which minimised over-utilisation, both during wet and dry seasons. This is a gregarious herbivore, occurring in herds ranging from ten to a few thousand individuals. Bulls maintain territories when the herd is sedentary.
Where they are found
Distribution is concentrated to the north-eastern regions of South Africa. Not regarded as endangered, but mostly found in conservation areas. Also widely distributed in countries north of South Africa. Population numbers are drastically reduced due to fencing, which restricts traditional and instinctive migration.
Field Notes
There are five known subspecies of Blue Wildebeest in Africa:
C. t. taurinus - Blue wildebeest or bridled gnu
C. t. albojubatus - Eastern white-bearded wildebeest
C. t. cooksoni - Cookson's wildebeest
C. t. johnstoni - Nyassaland wildebeest
C. t. mearnsi - Western white-bearded wildebeest
(krugerpark.co.za)
Der Kruger-Nationalpark (deutsch häufig falsch Krüger-Nationalpark) ist das größte Wildschutzgebiet Südafrikas. Er liegt im Nordosten des Landes in der Landschaft des Lowveld auf dem Gebiet der Provinz Limpopo sowie des östlichen Abschnitts von Mpumalanga. Seine Fläche erstreckt sich vom Crocodile-River im Süden bis zum Limpopo, dem Grenzfluss zu Simbabwe, im Norden. Die Nord-Süd-Ausdehnung beträgt etwa 350 km, in Ost-West-Richtung ist der Park durchschnittlich 54 km breit und umfasst eine Fläche von rund 20.000 Quadratkilometern. Damit gehört er zu den größten Nationalparks in Afrika.
Das Schutzgebiet wurde am 26. März 1898 unter dem Präsidenten Paul Kruger als Sabie Game Reserve zum Schutz der Wildnis gegründet. 1926 erhielt das Gebiet den Status Nationalpark und wurde in seinen heutigen Namen umbenannt. Im Park leben 147 Säugetierarten inklusive der „Big Five“, außerdem etwa 507 Vogelarten und 114 Reptilienarten, 49 Fischarten und 34 Amphibienarten.
(Wikipedia)
Das Steppenzebra (Equus quagga) oder Pferdezebra ist ein Zebra aus der Familie der Pferde (Equidae) und gehört zur Ordnung der Unpaarhufer (Perissodactyla). Es stellt heute die häufigste Zebra-Art in Afrika dar und ist vom Nordosten bis in den Süden des Kontinents verbreitet. Es lebt gesellig in kleinen Herdenverbänden und ernährt sich hauptsächlich von Gräsern. Im Gegensatz zu den anderen heutigen Pferdearten kommt es auch in teilweise geschlossenen Landschaften vor. Der Bestand, dessen größte Population heute in der Serengeti lebt, gilt als nicht gefährdet. Es werden sechs rezente Unterarten unterschieden, die sich meistens deutlich in der Streifenzeichnung voneinander abheben.
(Wikipedia)
Das Streifengnu (Connochaetes taurinus) ist eine Antilope aus der Gattung der Gnus, die als Grasfresser in offenen Steppen oder Baumsavannen Afrikas zu Hause ist. Es wird auch als Blaues Gnu bezeichnet.
Streifengnus haben eine Schulterhöhe von 140 cm und einen hohen, stämmigen Vorderkörper, der zu den Hinterbeinen abfällt. Das Körpergewicht kann 270 Kilogramm erreichen. Sie haben einen großen Kopf mit einem breiten Maul. Das Haarkleid ist bräunlich oder bläulich schillernd dunkelgrau. Vom Hals bis zum Hinterteil befinden sich dunkle Querstreifen. Eine lange, schwarze Mähne bedeckt den Nacken bis zu den Schultern. An der Kehle wächst ein schwarzer Bart. Beide Geschlechter tragen Hörner, die an Rinderhörner erinnern, jedoch sind die der Bullen kräftiger. Der schwarze Schweif erinnert an einen Pferdeschwanz. Bei der Geburt sind die Kälber hell rötlichbraun und haben ein dunkleres Gesicht.
Der Sexualdimorphismus bei Streifengnus ist nur gering ausgeprägt. Diese Eigenschaft wird bei einer Reihe von afrikanischen Antilopenarten beobachtet, die in einem Herdenverband leben und häufig auch weite Wanderungen unternehmen. Vermutet wird, dass der geringe Geschlechterunterschied es männlichen Tieren erlaubt, in der Herde zu leben ohne eine erhöhte Aggressivität mit anderen männlichen Tieren des Herdenverbands auszulösen.
Das Streifengnu lebt in großen Herden im offenen Grasland (Savanne) des südlichen Afrika. Es ist in Sambia, Botswana, Simbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Malawi, Mosambik und Südafrika anzutreffen.
Das Streifengnu umfasste ursprünglich die Unterarten C. t. taurinus, C. t. cooksoni, C. t. johnstoni, C. t. albojubatus und C. t. mearnsi und bildete zusammen mit dem Weißschwanzgnu die Gattung der Gnus, die nur diese zwei Arten enthielt. Eine Revision der Hornträger im Jahr 2011 erkannte die Unterarten bis auf C. t. cooksoni jedoch als eigenständige Arten an, womit die Gattung der Gnus nun fünf Arten hat. Connochaetes taurinus cooksoni wurde in die neue Art Connochaetes johnstoni mit eingefasst.
(Wikipedia)
In the wilds 35/52
The migration of Wildebeest from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara is one of the wonders of nature. We found thousands to view as far as the eye could see
Front And Center Blue Wildebeest ( C. t. albojubatus)
Serengeti National Park
Tanzania
East Africa
The wildebeest also called the gnu is an antelope in the genus Connochaetes native to Eastern and Southern Africa. It belongs to the family Bovidae, which includes antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed horned ungulates. Connochaetes includes two species, both native to Africa: the black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (C. gnou), and the blue wildebeest or brindled gnu (C. taurinus).
In East Africa, the blue wildebeest is the most abundant big-game species; some populations perform an annual migration to new grazing grounds, but the black wildebeest is merely nomadic. Breeding in both takes place over a short period of time at the end of the rainy season and the calves are soon active and are able to move with the herd, a fact necessary for their survival. Nevertheless, some fall prey to large carnivores, especially the spotted hyena.
Wildebeest often graze in mixed herds with zebra, which gives heightened awareness of potential predators. They are also alert to the warning signals emitted by other animals such as baboons. Some illegal hunting goes on but the population trend is fairly stable and some populations are in national parks or on private land. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists both as least-concern species. – Wikipedia
Layers of Wildebeest
Watching their fellow beests cross the river.
Wildebeest Above the River
Watching and deciding whether to cross.
Crossing the River
Four wildebeest out of thousands crossing the Mara River.
Wildebeest Herd Retreating
After some crossed the river, the rest decided to turn back.
Zebra Lining Up To Cross
A few zebra among the masses of wildebeest
Migration Stowaways
A few zebra traveling among all the wildebeest
Early Migration Wildebeest
This group of wildebeest crossed the Mara early, and had already reached the Central Serengeti when we were passing.
Gnous et Zèbres avant la garnde migration
Wildebeest and Zebras before the great migration
Serengeti
Tanzanie
On the move
A group of wildebeests running for migration - Serengeti - Tanzania
On the move
A group of wildebeests marching on the great migration in the Serengeti plains - Tanzania
Watering hole with zebras and antelope, with thousands of wildebeests in the distance. Great migration - Serengeti Tanzania
Mara River Crossing
Our trip to Tanzania was timed to coincide with the return of the annual wildebeest migration from Kenya's Maasai Mara to the Serengeti, which involves many thousands of them crossing the Mara River.
Here, a large group of wildebeest mass on the north bank of the river (whilst a Nile Crocodile waits in the middle).
A very young Blue Wildebeest, now running for no apparent reason, may soon need to run to survive
Photographed in Tanzania, Africa
=> Please click twice on the image to see the largest size. <=
This young wildebeest, like other young wildebeest in the herd, was running at top speed while the adults grazed nearby. These sporadic runs build the speed and stamina they need to outrun the predators that constantly target the wildebeest herds. Note the remnant of its umbilical cord still attached to its belly.
===============
From Wikipedia: The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), also called the common wildebeest, white-bearded 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 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 is 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. Oddly, rare blue wildebeat can have a glow or luminescent coat during the change of seasons between fall and winter. Blue wildebeest 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 blue wildebeest 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 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. The southern limit of the blue wildebeest range is the Orange River, while the western limit is bounded by Lake Victoria and Mount Kenya. The blue wildebeest is widespread and is being introduced into private game farms, reserves, and conservancies. So, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources rates the blue wildebeest as being of least concern. The population has been estimated to be around 1.5 million, and the population trend is stable.
Fossil records suggest these two species diverged about one million years ago, resulting in a northern and a southern species. The blue wildebeest remained in its original range and changed very little from the ancestral species, while the black wildebeest changed more as adaptation to its open grassland habitat in the south. The most obvious ways of telling the two species apart are the differences in their colouring and in the way their horns are oriented.
In East Africa, the blue wildebeest is the most abundant big-game species; some populations perform an annual migration to new grazing grounds, but the black wildebeest is merely nomadic. Breeding in both takes place over a short period of time at the end of the rainy season and the calves are soon active and are able to move with the herd, a fact necessary for their survival. Nevertheless, some fall prey to large carnivores, especially the spotted hyena.
Wildebeest often graze in mixed herds with zebra, which gives heightened awareness of potential predators. They are also alert to the warning signals emitted by other animals such as baboons. Wildebeest are a tourist attraction but compete with domesticated livestock for pasture and are sometimes blamed by farmers for transferring diseases and parasites to their cattle. Illegal hunting does take place but the population trend is fairly stable and, with some in national parks or on private land. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists both kinds of wildebeest as least-concern species.
Predators:
Major predators that feed on wildebeest include the lion, hyena, African wild dog, cheetah, leopard, and crocodile, which seem to favour the wildebeest over other prey. Wildebeest, however, are very strong, and can inflict considerable injury even to a lion. Wildebeest have a maximum running speed of around 80 km/h (50 mph). The primary defensive tactic is herding, where the young animals are protected by the older, larger ones, while the herd runs as a group. Typically, the predators attempt to isolate a young or ill animal and attack without having to worry about the herd. Wildebeest have developed additional sophisticated cooperative behaviours, such as animals taking turns sleeping while others stand guard against a night attack by invading predators. Wildebeest migrations are closely followed by vultures, as wildebeest carcasses are an important source of food for these scavengers. The vultures consume about 70% of the wildebeest carcasses available. Decreases in the number of migrating wildebeest have also had a negative effect on the vultures. In the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, wildebeest may help facilitate the migration of other, smaller-bodied grazers, such as Thomson's gazelles (Eudorcas thomsonii), which eat the new-growth grasses stimulated by wildebeest foraging.
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2022.09.15.1930.D850 Great Migration Column
Having made the dangerous crossing of the Mara River in southwestern Kenya, a column of wildebeests (just a few among a herd of 2 million) makes its way under the warm equatorial sun to the greener pastures of the Masai Mara National Reserve. The +/- 800-mile clockwise migration from the southern Serengeti in Tanzania to the Kenyan Mara is continuous, an ongoing search across the miles and the seasons for water and green grass, never truly ending. If they could get food and water all year long in the same place, they'd not need to migrate -- which would make these animal nomads' lives much less harrowing. From a September 2022 safari. ©2022 | John M. Hudson
The Great Migration
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
A few of the 1.5 million Wildebeest that migrate around the Serengeti every year. In late September large groups, hundreds strong, cross the Mara River as they head back south.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the Serengeti. 2 million wildebeest and 300 thousand zebra in perpetual motion, migrating with the rains through the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. A true spectacle to behold.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the Serengeti. 2 million wildebeest and 300 thousand zebra in perpetual motion, migrating with the rains through the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. A true spectacle to behold.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the Serengeti. 2 million wildebeest and 300 thousand zebra in perpetual motion, migrating with the rains through the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. A true spectacle to behold.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the Serengeti. 2 million wildebeest and 300 thousand zebra in perpetual motion, migrating with the rains through the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. A true spectacle to behold.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the Serengeti. 2 million wildebeest and 300 thousand zebra in perpetual motion, migrating with the rains through the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. A true spectacle to behold.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the Serengeti. 2 million wildebeest and 300 thousand zebra in perpetual motion, migrating with the rains through the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. A true spectacle to behold.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the Serengeti. 2 million wildebeest and 300 thousand zebra in perpetual motion, migrating with the rains through the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. A true spectacle to behold.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the Serengeti. 2 million wildebeest and 300 thousand zebra in perpetual motion, migrating with the rains through the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. A true spectacle to behold.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration of the Serengeti. 2 million wildebeest and 300 thousand zebra in perpetual motion, migrating with the rains through the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. A true spectacle to behold.