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Animal Age

How old does a Black wildebeest get? (age expectancy)

What is the maximal age a Black wildebeest reaches?

An adult Black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) usually gets as old as 20 years.

Black wildebeests are around 256 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 10.94 kg (24.12 lbs) and measure 3.6 cm (0′ 2″). As a member of the Bovidae family (genus: Connochaetes), their offspring is 1 babies per pregnancy. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 1.82 meter (6′ 0″).

As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.

A Black wildebeest gets as old as 20 years

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

Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Bovidae):

Animals that reach the same age as Black wildebeest

With an average age of 20 years, Black wildebeest are in good companionship of the following animals:

Animals with the same number of babies Black wildebeest

The same number of babies at once (1) are born by:

Weighting as much as Black wildebeest

A fully grown Black wildebeest reaches around 156.55 kg (345.13 lbs). So do these animals:

Animals as big as a Black wildebeest

Those animals grow as big as a Black wildebeest: