The Strange Looking Gnu!

       When the Dutch settlers arrived in South Africa they found an unusual appearing animal of freakish actions which they called zwart wildebeest meaning black wild beast or black wild ox. The Hottentot natives of that region had named the animal the gnu, in imitation of the bellowing snorts of the old bulls. Nowadays, it is known as the black wildebeest or the white-tailed gnu.

       The South African natives killed animals for food, but only what they needed, so when the Dutch arrived the gnus existed in large numbers. The settlers did not eat the meat much themselves, but they did feed their Hottentot servants with it. The hides were made into harness, whips, ropes, and other farm gear. Later the wholesale killing for the hide trade developed, and now the white-tailed gnus are almost extinct in the wild state.

       The gnus live on the open plains in troops of eight to fifty. Where they are much hunted, however, they have taken to living in brushy or forested regions. During the winter the old males often live apart, either in troops or each by itself. At times, the gnus go through curious antics. They paw the ground with their hoofs, tear it with their horns, strike at each other, lash with their tails, and dart and prance about. Probably these antics are efforts to free themselves from bot-flies which during their worm stage live in the nostrils and ears of the gnus.

       There is but one young born at a time and although the mother feeds it milk for seven or eight months it begins to eat grass when only one week old. The white-tailed gnus do well in captivity, but the males are dangerous and they can never be trusted.

       Because of the maned neck, and the long, horse-like tail the gnu has been called the horned horse, but it is one of the true antelopes. It has the body and legs of an antelope, the head of a buffalo or ox, and the mane and tail of a horse. The long, black hair on the throat and chest, the very broad muzzle, and the long, black hair pointing upward on the face give the gnu a strange and grotesque appearance.

       The home of the white-tailed gnu was, for the most part, south of the Orange River. To the north of the river it was replaced by the blue wildebeest (blaauw wildebeest, of the Dutch), brindled wildebeest, or, as others call it, the black-tailed gnu. This gnu is found northeastward as far as the equator. 

       Instead of being brownish in color as is the white-tailed, the blue gnu is, as the name suggests, a sort of bluish or grayish color. Other differences are: it is larger, the head is narrower, the long hair on the face points downward instead of upward, there is no hair on the chest, and the shorter tail is white. Stripes of hair on the sides and neck, which are differently directed from the other hair, give a brindled appearance.

Photo of gnu by Muhammad Mahdi Karim.
Read more about Gnus at the Reserve Africaine Sigean

       Many of the habits of these gnus are similar to those of the white tailed ones, although in some ways they differ. These are often found in company with zebras, impalas, and ostriches, sometimes with giraffes. Swift and enduring in their flight they are hard to run down, but their habit of stopping to satisfy their curiosity sometimes enables the hunter to get close enough for shooting.

       Their powers of resistance are remarkable, as even badly wounded ones frequently escape. Since the wounded may charge, the hunter must be on his guard. When pursued, a band tends to string out, the lighter females run in front, the heavier males follow. They may be so strung out as to give the appearance of running in single file.

       When we read about African animals, very often we find them described as existing in countless numbers. In the earlier days they did, but now much of Africa is settled, and from settled regions the larger wild animals have disappeared just as has happened in the United States. Fortunately, reserves have been established in a number of places and there the animals are safe from human hunters. Consequently the black-tailed gnus should live on for a long time to come, but not in the countless numbers which the first settlers found.

       Gnus are also popular zoo inhabitants, as people like to see them go through their strange antics. Potter.

• After your read about Gnus you can learn even more about them from the video posted below
• There is also a funny poem about Gnus courting here "The Gnu Wooing"

Eastern white-bearded gnu in Amboseli 

by Rob The Ranger Wildlife Videos