How big does a Blue wildebeest get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) reaches an average size of 2.01 meter (6′ 8″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 21.5 years, they grow from 18.02 kg (39.73 lbs) to 197.31 kg (434.99 lbs). A Blue wildebeest has 1 babies at once. The Blue wildebeest (genus: Connochaetes) is a member of the family Bovidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), also called the common wildebeest, white-bearded wildebeest, 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. 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 volcanic soil 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, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, 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.
Animals of the same family as a Blue wildebeest
We found other animals of the Bovidae family:
- Lichtenstein’s hartebeest bringing 168.7 kilos (371.92 lbs) to the scale
- Harnessed bushbuck with a size of 1.25 meter (4′ 2″)
- Nyala with a size of 1.94 meter (6′ 5″)
- Thomson’s gazelle with a size of 88.5 cm (2′ 11″)
- Himalayan goral with a size of 1.06 meter (3′ 6″)
- Hartebeest with a size of 1.98 meter (6′ 6″)
- Red gazelle bringing 40 kilos (88.18 lbs) to the scale
- Dall sheep with a size of 1.42 meter (4′ 8″)
- Lechwe with 1 babies per litter
- Gerenuk with a size of 1.5 meter (5′ 0″)
Animals with the same size as a Blue wildebeest
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Blue wildebeest:
- Lion with a size of 1.84 meter (6′ 1″)
- Harp seal with a size of 1.73 meter (5′ 9″)
- Harbor seal with a size of 1.61 meter (5′ 4″)
- Pantropical spotted dolphin with a size of 2.14 meter (7′ 1″)
- Reindeer with a size of 2.23 meter (7′ 4″)
- Bongo (antelope) with a size of 2.27 meter (7′ 6″)
- Nilgai with a size of 2 meter (6′ 7″)
- Polar bear with a size of 2 meter (6′ 7″)
- South American sea lion with a size of 2.12 meter (7′ 0″)
- Crabeater seal with a size of 2.28 meter (7′ 6″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Blue wildebeest
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Blue wildebeest:
- Dusky leaf-nosed bat
- Puku
- Sowerby’s beaked whale
- Lesser bamboo bat
- Java mouse-deer
- Black lemur
- Angola colobus
- Eastern white-eared giant rat
- Cotton-top tamarin
- Rwanda African mole-rat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Blue wildebeest
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Blue wildebeest:
- Egyptian fruit bat with an average maximal age of 22.83 years
- Vicuña with an average maximal age of 24.75 years
- Indian muntjac with an average maximal age of 17.58 years
- Short-beaked common dolphin with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Northern viscacha with an average maximal age of 19.5 years
- Big hairy armadillo with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Mountain gazelle with an average maximal age of 18.25 years
- Alpine marmot with an average maximal age of 18 years
- Alpine ibex with an average maximal age of 22.25 years
- Weddell seal with an average maximal age of 25 years
Animals with the same weight as a Blue wildebeest
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Connochaetes taurinus:
- Brown bear with a weight of 196.14 kilos (432.41 lbs)
- Crabeater seal with a weight of 225 kilos (496.04 lbs)
- South American sea lion with a weight of 194 kilos (427.7 lbs)
- Lichtenstein’s hartebeest with a weight of 168.7 kilos (371.92 lbs)
- Waterbuck with a weight of 203.2 kilos (447.98 lbs)
- Tiger with a weight of 162.28 kilos (357.77 lbs)
- Irrawaddy dolphin with a weight of 190 kilos (418.88 lbs)
- Australian sea lion with a weight of 189.14 kilos (416.98 lbs)
- Pygmy hippopotamus with a weight of 231 kilos (509.27 lbs)
- Melon-headed whale with a weight of 206 kilos (454.15 lbs)