It is hard to guess what a Black wildebeest weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) on average weights 156.55 kg (345.13 lbs).
The Black wildebeest is from the family Bovidae (genus: Connochaetes). It is usually born with about 10.94 kg (24.12 lbs). They can live for up to 20 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 1.82 meter (6′ 0″). Usually, Black wildebeests have 1 babies per litter.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (Connochaetes gnou) is one of the two closely related wildebeest species. It is a member of the genus Connochaetes and family Bovidae. It was first described in 1780 by Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann. The black wildebeest is typically 170–220 cm (67–87 in) in head-and-body length, and the typical weight is 110–180 kg (240–400 lb). Males stand about 111–121 cm (44–48 in) at the shoulder, while the height of the females is 106–116 cm (42–46 in). The black wildebeest is characterised by its white, long, horse-like tail. It also has a dark brown to black coat and long, dark-coloured hair between its forelegs and under its belly.The black wildebeest is an herbivore, and almost the whole diet consists of grasses. Water is an essential requirement. The three distinct social groups are the female herds, the bachelor herds, and the territorial bulls. They are fast runners and communicate using a variety of visual and vocal communications. The primary breeding season for the black wildebeest is from February to April. A single calf is usually born after a gestational period of about 8 and a half months. The calf remains with its mother until her next calf is born a year later. The black wildebeest inhabits open plains, grasslands, and Karoo shrublands.The natural populations of black wildebeest, endemic in the southern part of Africa, were almost completely exterminated in the 19th century, due to their reputation as pests and the value of their hides and meat. However, the species has been reintroduced widely from captive specimens, both in private areas and nature reserves throughout most of Lesotho, Swaziland, and South Africa. The species has also been introduced outside its natural range in Namibia and Kenya.
Animals of the same family as a Black wildebeest
We found other animals of the Bovidae family:
- Sitatunga bringing 75.28 kilos (165.96 lbs) to the scale
- Sheep bringing 37.47 kilos (82.61 lbs) to the scale
- Domestic yak bringing 500 kilos (1102.31 lbs) to the scale
- Chinese goral with an average maximal age of 17.25 years
- Muskox bringing 312.67 kilos (689.32 lbs) to the scale
- Klipspringer bringing 13.46 kilos (29.67 lbs) to the scale
- Harvey’s duiker bringing 14.5 kilos (31.97 lbs) to the scale
- Himalayan tahr bringing 68.26 kilos (150.49 lbs) to the scale
- Maxwell’s duiker bringing 8.56 kilos (18.87 lbs) to the scale
- Dwarf blue sheep bringing 29.27 kilos (64.53 lbs) to the scale
Animals with the same weight as a Black wildebeest
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Connochaetes gnou:
- Nilgai with a weight of 181.63 kilos (400.43 lbs)
- Gemsbok with a weight of 187.6 kilos (413.59 lbs)
- Atlantic white-sided dolphin with a weight of 186.76 kilos (411.73 lbs)
- Dusky dolphin with a weight of 127.25 kilos (280.54 lbs)
- Tiger with a weight of 162.28 kilos (357.77 lbs)
- Père David’s deer with a weight of 165.5 kilos (364.86 lbs)
- Rough-toothed dolphin with a weight of 130 kilos (286.6 lbs)
- Bornean bearded pig with a weight of 135.4 kilos (298.51 lbs)
- Asinus with a weight of 172.5 kilos (380.3 lbs)
- Lion with a weight of 158.75 kilos (349.98 lbs)
Animals with the same size as a Black wildebeest
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Black wildebeest:
- Ross seal with a size of 2.07 meter (6′ 10″)
- Atlantic spotted dolphin with a size of 2.13 meter (7′ 0″)
- Scimitar oryx with a size of 1.91 meter (6′ 4″)
- Grant’s gazelle with a size of 1.53 meter (5′ 1″)
- Guadalupe fur seal with a size of 1.71 meter (5′ 8″)
- California sea lion with a size of 2.02 meter (6′ 8″)
- Okapi with a size of 2 meter (6′ 7″)
- Polar bear with a size of 2 meter (6′ 7″)
- Hartebeest with a size of 1.98 meter (6′ 6″)
- Amazon river dolphin with a size of 2.12 meter (7′ 0″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Black wildebeest
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Black wildebeest:
- Tonkin snub-nosed monkey
- Bontebok
- Desert long-eared bat
- Four-striped ground squirrel
- Bharal
- Beira (antelope)
- Goeldi’s marmoset
- Telefomin cuscus
- Gray dorcopsis
- Goa (antelope)
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Black wildebeest
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Black wildebeest:
- Snow leopard with an average maximal age of 18 years
- Moustached guenon with an average maximal age of 23 years
- Black bearded saki with an average maximal age of 18 years
- European badger with an average maximal age of 16.17 years
- Matschie’s tree-kangaroo with an average maximal age of 23.83 years
- Springbok with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Brown fur seal with an average maximal age of 21 years
- Tana River mangabey with an average maximal age of 21 years
- Siberian ibex with an average maximal age of 22.25 years
- Townsend’s big-eared bat with an average maximal age of 21.17 years