75-586: The Makgadikgadi Pan / m ə ˈ k æ d i ˈ k æ d i / ( Tswana pronunciation [makχʰadiˈkχʰaːdi] ), a salt pan situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana , is one of the largest salt flats in the world. The pan is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi , which once covered an area larger than Switzerland , but dried up tens of thousands of years ago. Recent studies of human mitochondrial DNA suggest that modern Homo sapiens first began to evolve in this region some 200,000 years ago, when it
150-761: A dispute between two males occurred. Wildebeest compete with domesticated livestock for pasture and are sometimes blamed by farmers for transferring diseases and parasites to their cattle. Wildebeest do not form permanent pair bonds and during the mating season, or rut , the males establish temporary territories and try to attract females into them. These small territories are about 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft; 0.74 acres), with up to 300 territories per 1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi; 250 acres). The males defend these territories from other males while competing for females that are coming into oestrus. The males use grunts and distinctive behaviour to entice females into their territories. Wildebeest usually breed at
225-494: A herd of wildebeest possesses what is known as a " swarm intelligence ", whereby the animals systematically explore and overcome the obstacle as one. The wildebeest only has interdigital (hoof) glands in its fore legs. Analysis of chemical constituents from a free ranging blue wildebeest from Zimbabwe (Cawston Block) showed this gland contains cyclohexanecarboxylic acid, phenol, 2-phenolethanol, and six short-chain carboxylic acids. . Major predators that feed on wildebeest include
300-582: A humorous song called " The Gnu ", which was very popular when he performed it, with Donald Swann , in a revue called At the Drop of a Hat , which opened in London on 31 December 1956. In the 1970s, British tea brand Typhoo ran a series of television advertisements featuring an animated anthropomorphic gnu character. The wildebeest is the mascot of the GNU Project and GNU operating system. In
375-525: A negative impact on humans. Wild individuals can be competitors of commercial livestock, and can transmit diseases and cause epidemics among animals, particularly domestic cattle. They can also spread ticks , lungworms , tapeworms , flies, and paramphistome flukes . The wildebeest is depicted on the coat of arms of the Province of Natal and later KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Over the years,
450-411: 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
525-407: A secondary stress in the first part of the word. The syllable on which the stress falls is lengthened. Thus, mosadi (woman) is realised as [mʊ̀ˈsáːdì] . Tswana has two tones , high and low, but the latter has a much wider distribution in words than the former. Tones are not marked orthographically , which may lead to ambiguity. An important feature of the tones is the so-called spreading of
600-565: A short note regarding the common characteristics of most nouns within their respective classes. Some nouns may be found in several classes. For instance, many class 1 nouns are also found in class 1a, class 3, class 4, and class 5. Wildebeest Connochaetes gnou – black wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus – blue wildebeest Wildebeest ( / ˈ w ɪ l d ɪ b iː s t / WIL -dib-eest , / ˈ v ɪ l -/ VIL - , ), also called gnu ( / n uː / NOO or / nj uː / NEW ), are antelopes of
675-404: A shoulder height of 135 cm (53 in) and weigh 180 kg (400 lb) while black wildebeest females stand 108 cm (43 in) at the shoulder and weigh 155 kg (342 lb). The horns of blue wildebeest protrude to the side, then curve downwards before curving up back towards the skull, while the horns of the black wildebeest curve forward then downward before curving upwards at
750-480: A success and numbers have increased substantially there from 150 in 1982 to 7,000 in 1992. The blue wildebeest has also been rated as of least concern. The population trend is stable, and their numbers are estimated to be around 1,500,000 – mainly due to the increase of the populations in Serengeti National Park (Tanzania) to 1,300,000 as of 1998. However, the numbers of one of the subspecies,
825-402: Is a crucial element for all life forms, particularly for lactating female bovids. As a result, during the rainy season, wildebeest select grazing areas that contain particularly high phosphorus levels. One study found, in addition to phosphorus, wildebeest select ranges containing grass with relatively high nitrogen content. Aerial photography has revealed that a level of organisation occurs in
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#1732764702323900-758: Is a notable feature of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and the Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia. Not all wildebeest are migratory. Black wildebeest herds are often nomadic or may have a regular home range of 1 km (0.39 sq mi). Bulls may occupy territories, usually about 100 to 400 m (300 to 1,300 ft) apart, but this spacing varies according to
975-466: Is about 1,900 sq mi (4,921.0 km). In comparison, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is a single salt flat of 4,100 sq mi (10,619.0 km), rarely has much water, and is generally claimed to be the world's largest salt pan. A dry, salty, clay crust most of the year, the pans are seasonally covered with water and grass, and are then a refuge for birds and animals in this very arid part of
1050-514: Is no longer found in Malawi but has been successfully reintroduced into Namibia . Blue wildebeest are mainly found in short grass plains bordering bush-covered acacia savannas , thriving in areas that are neither too wet nor too dry. They can be found in habitats that vary from overgrazed areas with dense bush to open woodland floodplains. In East Africa, the blue wildebeest is the most abundant big game species, both in population and biomass. It
1125-416: Is placed under the family Bovidae and subfamily Alcelaphinae , where its closest relatives are the hartebeest ( Alcelaphus spp.), the hirola ( Beatragus hunteri ), and species in the genus Damaliscus , such as the topi , the tsessebe , the blesbok and the bontebok . The name Connochaetes was given by German zoologist Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1812. In the early 20th century, one species of
1200-530: Is realised as either /x/ or /h/ by many speakers; /f/ is realised as /h/ in most dialects; and /tɬ/ and /tɬʰ/ are realised as /t/ and /tʰ/ in northern dialects. The consonant /ŋ/ can exist at the end of a word without being followed by a vowel (as in Jwaneng and Barolong Seboni ). Stress is fixed in Tswana and thus always falls on the penult of a word, although some compounds may receive
1275-552: Is spoken according to the ethnic groups found in the Tswana culture (Bakgatla, Barolong, Bakwena, Batlhaping, Bahurutshe, Bafokeng, Batlokwa, Bataung, and Batswapong, among others); the written language remains the same. A small number of speakers are also found in Zimbabwe (unknown number) and Namibia (about 10,000 people). The first European to describe the language was the German traveller Hinrich Lichtenstein , who lived among
1350-408: 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
1425-470: Is the principal unique language of the city of Pretoria . The three South African provinces with the most speakers are Gauteng (circa 11%), Northern Cape , and North West (over 70%). Until 1994, South African Tswana people were notionally citizens of Bophuthatswana , one of the bantustans of the apartheid regime. The Setswana language in the Northwest Province has variations in which it
1500-495: The Boteti River . The geologic processes behind the formation of the basin are not well understood. It is conjectured that there was a gentle down-warping of the crust , with accompanying mild tectonics and associated faulting; however, no significant plate boundary faults have been identified. The main axis of the developing graben runs northeast–southwest. Kubu Island and Kukome Island are igneous rock "islands" in
1575-550: The Kalahari Basin and form the bed of the ancient Lake Makgadikgadi, which evaporated many millennia ago. Archaeological recovery in the Makgadikgadi Pan has revealed the presence of prehistoric man through abundant finds of stone tools; some of these tools have been dated sufficiently early to establish their origin as earlier than the era of Homo sapiens . Pastoralists herded grazing livestock here when water
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#17327647023231650-588: The Lozi language . Setswana is an official language of Botswana , South Africa , and Zimbabwe . It is a lingua franca in Botswana and parts of South Africa, particularly North West Province . Tswana speaking ethnic groups are found in more than two provinces of South Africa, primarily in the North West , where about four million people speak the language. An urbanised variety is known as Pretoria Sotho , and
1725-580: The Ngorongoro , most animals are sedentary and males maintain a network of territories throughout the year, though breeding is seasonal in nature. Females and young form groups of about 10 individuals or join in larger aggregations, and nonterritorial males form bachelor groups. In the Serengeti and Tarangire ecosystems, populations are mostly migratory, with herds consisting of both sexes frequently moving, but resident subpopulations also exist. During
1800-761: The Tswana people Batlhaping in 1806 although his work was not published until 1930. He mistakenly regarded Tswana as a dialect of the Xhosa , and the name that he used for the language "Beetjuana" may also have covered the Northern and Southern Sotho languages . The first major work on Tswana was carried out by the British missionary Robert Moffat , who had also lived among the Batlhaping , and published Bechuana Spelling Book and A Bechuana Catechism in 1826. In
1875-612: The close-mid vowels /e/ and /o/ . The circumflex on e and o in general Setswana writing is only encouraged at elementary levels of education and not at upper primary or higher; usually these are written without the circumflex. The consonant inventory of Tswana can be seen below. The consonant /d/ is merely an allophone of /l/ , when the latter is followed by the vowels /i/ or /u/ . Two more sounds, v /v/ and z /z/ , exist only in loanwords. Tswana also has three click consonants , but these are only used in interjections or ideophones , and tend only to be used by
1950-420: The lion , hyena , African wild dog , cheetah , leopard , and Nile 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
2025-438: 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
2100-420: The tympanic part of the temporal bone is highly deformed, and in others, the radius and ulna are fused. Both species of wildebeest are even-toed, horned, greyish-brown ungulates resembling cattle. Males are larger than females and both have heavy forequarters compared to their hindquarters. They have broad muzzles, Roman noses, and shaggy manes and tails. The most striking morphological differences between
2175-602: The International Union for Conservation of Nature in the IUCN Red List . The populations of this species are on an increase. Now, more than 18,000 individuals are believed to remain, 7,000 of which are in Namibia, outside their natural range, and where it is farmed. Around 80% of the wildebeest occurs in private areas, while the other 20% is confined in protected areas. Its introduction into Namibia has been
2250-601: The Sahara. The black wildebeest is native to the southernmost parts of the continent. Its historical range included South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho, but in the latter two countries, it was hunted to extinction in the 19th century. It has now been reintroduced to them and also introduced to Namibia, where it has become well established. It inhabits open plains, grasslands, and Karoo shrublands in both steep mountainous regions and lower undulating hills at altitudes varying between 1,350 and 2,150 m (4,430 and 7,050 ft). In
2325-771: The South African authorities have issued several stamps displaying the animal and the South African Mint has struck a two-cent piece with a prancing black wildebeest. Movies and television shows also feature wildebeests, including Khumba (Mama V), The Wild (Kazar and his minions), All Hail King Julien (Vigman Wildebeest), Phineas and Ferb (Newton the Gnu), The Great Space Coaster (newscaster Gary Gnu), and The Lion King (the wildebeest stampede that resulted in Mufasa's death). Michael Flanders wrote
Makgadikgadi Pan - Misplaced Pages Continue
2400-406: The alarm calls of other species, and by doing so, can reduce their risk of predation. One study showed, along with other ungulates, wildebeests responded more strongly to the baboon alarm calls compared to the baboon contest calls, though both types of calls had similar patterns, amplitudes, and durations. The alarm calls were a response of the baboons to lions, and the contest calls were recorded when
2475-408: The area function as local landmarks. One of them, named after James Chapman , served as an unofficial post office for 19th-century explorers. Very little wildlife can exist here during the harsh dry season of strong hot winds and only salt water, but following a rain the pan becomes an important habitat for migrating animals including wildebeest and one of Africa 's biggest zebra populations, and
2550-434: The black and blue wildebeest are the orientation and curvature of their horns and the colour of their coats. The blue wildebeest is the bigger of the two species. In males, blue wildebeest stand 150 cm (59 in) tall at the shoulder and weigh around 250 kg (550 lb), while the black wildebeest stands 111–120 cm (44–47 in) tall and weighs about 180 kg (400 lb). In females, blue wildebeest have
2625-421: The black wildebeest has no named subspecies. The diploid number of chromosomes in the wildebeest is 58. Chromosomes were studied in a male and a female wildebeest. In the female, all except a pair of very large submetacentric chromosomes were found to be acrocentric . Metaphases were studied in the male's chromosomes, and very large submetacentric chromosomes were found there, as well, similar to those in
2700-444: The blue and black wildebeest – were identified. The blue wildebeest was at first placed under a separate genus, Gorgon , while the black wildebeest belonged to the genus Connochaetes . Today, they are united in the single genus Connochaetes , with the black wildebeest being named ( C. gnou ) and the blue wildebeest ( C. taurinus ). According to a mitochondrial DNA analysis, the black wildebeest are estimated to have diverged from
2775-411: The blue wildebeest migrates over long distances in the winter, whereas the black wildebeest does not. The milk of the black wildebeest contains a higher protein, lower fat, and lower lactose content than the milk of the blue wildebeest. Wildebeest can live more than 40 years, though their average lifespan is around 20 years. Wildebeest inhabit the plains and open woodlands of parts of Africa south of
2850-430: The decline is thought to be the increasing competition between cattle and wildebeest for a diminishing area of grazing land as a result of changes in agricultural practices, and possibly fluctuations in rainfall. Each year, some East African populations of blue wildebeest have a long-distance migration, seemingly timed to coincide with the annual pattern of rainfall and grass growth. The timing of their migrations in both
2925-559: The eastern white-bearded wildebeest ( C. t. albojubatus ) have seen a steep decline. Population density ranges from 0.15/km . in Hwange and Etosha National Parks to 35/km in Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park. Overland migration as a biological process requires large, connected landscapes, which are increasingly difficult to maintain, particularly over the long term, when human demands on
3000-497: The end of the rainy season when the animals are well fed and at their peak of fitness. This usually occurs between May and July, and birthing usually takes place between January and March, at the start of the wet season. Wildebeest females breed seasonally and ovulate spontaneously. The estrous cycle is about 23 days and the gestation period lasts 250 to 260 days. The calves weigh about 21 kg (46 lb) at birth and scramble to their feet within minutes, being able to move with
3075-425: The female both in size and morphology. Other chromosomes were acrocentric. The X chromosome is a large acrocentric and the Y chromosome a minute one. The two species of the wildebeest are known to hybridise . Male black wildebeest have been reported to mate with female blue wildebeest and vice versa. The differences in social behaviour and habitats have historically prevented interspecific hybridisation between
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3150-539: The flesh is coarse, dry and rather hard. Wildebeest are killed for food, especially to make biltong in Southern Africa. This dried game meat is a delicacy and an important food item in Africa. The meat of females is more tender than that of males, and is the most tender during the autumn season. Wildebeest are a regular target for illegal meat hunters because their numbers make them easy to find. Cooks preparing
3225-547: The following years, he published several other books of the Bible , and in 1857, he was able to publish a complete translation of the Bible. The first grammar of Tswana was published in 1833 by the missionary James Archbell although it was modelled on a Xhosa grammar. The first grammar of Tswana which regarded it as a separate language from Xhosa (but still not as a separate language from the Northern and Southern Sotho languages)
3300-567: The fossil-bearing caves at the Cradle of Humankind north of Johannesburg . Elsewhere in South Africa, they are plentiful at such sites as Elandsfontein , Cornelia , and Florisbad . The earliest fossils of the black wildebeest were found in sedimentary rock in Cornelia in the Free State and dated back about 800,000 years. Today, five subspecies of the blue wildebeest are recognised, while
3375-428: The fringes of the pan are home to reptiles such as tortoises , rock monitor ( Varanus albigularis ) , snakes and lizards including the endemic Makgadikgadi spiny agama (Agama hispida makgadikgadiensis) . The region's salt water is home to the cladoceran crustacean Moina belli . The salt pans are very inhospitable and human intervention has been minimal so they remain fairly undisturbed, although land surrounding
3450-445: The genus Connochaetes and native to Eastern and Southern Africa. They belong to the family Bovidae , which includes true antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed horned ungulates . There are two species of wildebeest: the black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu ( C. gnou ), and the blue wildebeest or brindled gnu ( C. taurinus ). Fossil records suggest these two species diverged about one million years ago, resulting in
3525-496: 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
3600-417: The herd soon afterwards, a fact on which their survival relies. The main predator of the calves is the spotted hyena . The calving peak period lasts for 2–3 weeks, and in small subpopulations and isolated groups, mortality of calves may be as high as 50%. However, in larger aggregations, or small groups living near large herds, mortality rates may be under 20%. Groups of wildebeest females and young live in
3675-655: The high tone. If a syllable bears a high tone, the following two syllables will have high tones unless they are at the end of the word. Tswana orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. The letter š was introduced in 1937, but the corresponding sound is still sometimes written as ⟨sh⟩. The letters ⟨ê⟩ and ⟨ô⟩ are used in textbooks and language reference books, but not so much in daily standard writing. Nouns in Tswana are grouped into nine noun classes and one subclass, each having different prefixes . The nine classes and their respective prefixes can be seen below, along with
3750-489: The landscape compete. The most acute threat comes from migration barriers, such as fences and roads. In one of the more striking examples of the consequences of fence-building on terrestrial migrations, Botswanan authorities placed thousands of kilometres of fences across the Kalahari that prevented wildebeests from reaching watering holes and grazing grounds, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals, reducing
3825-658: The large predators that prey on them. The wet season also brings migratory birds such as ducks, geese and great white pelicans . The pan is home of one of only two breeding populations of greater flamingos in southern Africa, and only on the Soa pan, which is part of the Makgadikgadi pans. The other breeding population is at Etosha, in the Northern part of Namibia . The only birds here in the dry season are ostriches , chestnut-banded plover (Charadrius pallidus) and Kittlitz's plover (Charadrius pecuarius) . The grasslands on
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#17327647023233900-533: The main lineage during the Middle Pleistocene and became a distinct species around a million years ago. A divergence rate around 2% has been calculated. The split does not seem to have been driven by competition for resources, but instead because each species adopted a different ecological niche and occupied a different trophic level . Blue wildebeest fossils dating back some 2.5 million years ago are common and widespread. They have been found in
3975-400: The movement of the herd that cannot be apparent to each individual animal; for example, the migratory herd exhibits a wavy front, and this suggests that some degree of local decision-making is taking place. Numerous documentaries feature wildebeest crossing rivers, with many being eaten by crocodiles or drowning in the attempt. While having the appearance of a frenzy, recent research has shown
4050-658: The national parks is a persistent problem. There are some protected areas within the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan National Park. The Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve is the scene of large migrations of zebra and wildebeest from the Boteti River across to Ntwetwe Pan, while the Nata Sanctuary in Sua Pan is a place to see birdlife and antelopes. In Nxai Pan the baobabs painted by 19th century British artist Thomas Baines are still visible. The area can be accessed between
4125-404: The older generation, and are therefore falling out of use. The three click consonants are the dental click /ǀ/ , orthographically ⟨c⟩ ; the lateral click /ǁ/ , orthographically ⟨x⟩ ; and the alveolar click /ǃ/ , orthographically ⟨q⟩ . There are some minor dialectal variations among the consonants between speakers of Tswana. For instance, /χ/
4200-528: The pans is used for grazing and some areas have been fenced off, preventing the migration of wildlife. Modern commercial operations to extract salt and soda ash began on Sua Pan in 1991, and there are also plans to divert water from the Nata River for irrigation, which would cause severe damage to the salt pan ecosystem. Another threat is the use of quad bikes and off-road vehicles by tourists, which disturbs breeding colonies of flamingos. Illegal hunting in
4275-522: The past, it inhabited the highveld temperate grasslands during the dry winter season and the arid Karoo region during the rains. However, as a result of widespread hunting, the black wildebeest no longer occupies its historical range or makes migrations, and is now largely limited to game farms and protected reserves. The blue wildebeest is native to eastern and southern Africa. Its range includes Kenya , Tanzania , Botswana , Zambia , Zimbabwe , Mozambique , South Africa , Eswatini and Angola . It
4350-552: The population trend is fairly stable. Wildebeest can also be found in national parks or on private land. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists both kinds of wildebeest as least-concern species . Wildebeest is Dutch for 'wild beast', 'wild ox' or 'wild cattle' in Afrikaans ( bees ' cattle '), The name was given by Dutch settlers who saw them on their way to the interior of South Africa in about 1700 because they resemble wild ox . The blue wildebeest
4425-456: The quality of the habitat. In favourable conditions, they may be as close as 9 m (30 ft), or they may be as far apart as 1,600 m (5,200 ft) in poor habitat. Female herds have home ranges of about 250 acres (100 ha; 0.39 sq mi) in size. Herds of nonterritorial bachelor males roam at will and do not seem to have any restrictions on where they wander. Blue wildebeest have both migratory and sedentary populations. In
4500-541: The rainy and dry seasons can vary considerably (by months) from year to year. At the end of the wet season (May or June in East Africa), wildebeest migrate to dry-season areas in response to a lack of surface (drinking) water. When the rainy season begins again (months later), animals quickly move back to their wet-season ranges. Factors suspected to affect migration include food abundance, surface water availability, predators, and phosphorus content in grasses. Phosphorus
4575-477: The rutting season, the males may form temporary territories for a few hours or a day or so, and attempt to gather together a few females with which to mate, but soon they have to move on, often moving ahead to set up another temporary territory. In the Maasai Mara game reserve, a non-migratory population of blue wildebeest had dwindled from about 119,000 animals in 1977 to about 22,000 in 1997. The reason for
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#17327647023234650-420: The salt flat of Sua pan. Kubu Island lies in the southwestern quadrant of Sua Pan, contains a number of baobab trees , and is protected as a national monument. The pans themselves are salty desert whose only plant life is a thin layer of blue-green algae . However the fringes of the pan are salt marshes and further out these are circled by grassland and then shrubby savanna. The prominent baobab trees found in
4725-414: The small areas established by the male. When groups of wildebeest join, the female to male ratio is higher because the females choose to move to the areas held by a smaller number of males. This female-dominated sex ratio may be due to illegal hunting and human disturbance, with higher male mortality having been attributed to hunting. The black wildebeest has been classified as a least-concern species by
4800-457: The species, but hybridisation may occur when they are both confined within the same area. The resulting offspring are usually fertile. A study of these hybrid animals at Spioenkop Dam Nature Reserve in South Africa revealed that many had disadvantageous abnormalities relating to their teeth, horns, and the wormian bones in the skull. Another study reported an increase in the size of the hybrid as compared to either of its parents. In some animals,
4875-415: The tips. Blue wildebeest tend to be a dark grey colour with stripes, but may have a bluish sheen. The black wildebeest has brown-coloured hair, with a mane that ranges in colour from cream to black, and a cream-coloured tail. The blue wildebeest lives in a wide variety of habitats, including woodlands and grasslands, while the black wildebeest tends to reside exclusively in open grassland areas. In some areas,
4950-583: The towns of Nata and Maun , or from the town of Gweta . Tswana language Tswana , also known by its native name Setswana , and previously spelled Sechuana in English, is a Bantu language spoken in and indigenous to Southern Africa by about 8.2 million people. It is closely related to the Northern Sotho and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi language and
5025-523: The wildebeest carcass usually cut it into 11 pieces. The estimated price for wildebeest meat was about US$ 0.47 per 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) around 2008. The silky, flowing tail of the black wildebeest is used to make fly-whisks or chowries . Wildebeest benefit the ecosystem by increasing soil fertility with their excreta. They are economically important for human beings, as they are a major tourist attraction. They also provide important products, such as leather, to humans. Wildebeest, however, can also have
5100-889: 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. Zebras and wildebeest group together in open savannah environments with high chances of predation. This grouping strategy reduces predation risk because larger groups decrease each individual's chance of being hunted, and predators are more easily seen in open areas. The seasonal presence of thousands of migratory wildebeests reduces local lion predation on giraffe calves, resulting in greater survival of giraffes. Wildebeest can also listen in on
5175-498: The wildebeest population to less than 10% of its previous size. Illegal hunting is a major conservation concern in many areas, along with natural threats posed by main predators (which include lions, leopards, African hunting dogs, cheetahs and hyenas). Where the black and blue wildebeest share a common range, the two can hybridise, and this is regarded as a potential threat to the black wildebeest. Wildebeest provide several useful animal products. The hide makes good-quality leather and
5250-512: The wildebeest, C. albojubatus , was identified in eastern Africa. In 1914, two separate races of the wildebeest were introduced, namely Gorgon a. albojubatus ("Athi white-bearded wildebeest") and G. a. mearnsi ("Loita white-bearded wildebeest"). However, in 1939, the two were once again merged into a single race, Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus . In the mid-20th century, two separate forms were recognised, Gorgon taurinus hecki and G. t. albojubatus . Finally, two distinct types of wildebeest –
5325-473: The world. The climate is hot and dry, but with regular annual rains. The main water source is the 330 kilometers (210 mi) long Nata River , called Amanzanyama in Zimbabwe , where it rises at Sandown about 37 mi (59.5 km) from Bulawayo . A smaller amount of water is supplied by the Boteti River from the Okavango Delta. These salt pans cover 6,200 sq mi (16,057.9 km) in
5400-606: Was a vast, exceptionally fertile area of lakes, rivers, marshes, woodlands and grasslands especially favorable for habitation by evolving hominins and other mammals. Lying southeast of the Okavango Delta and surrounded by the Kalahari Desert , Makgadikgadi is technically not a single pan, but many pans with sandy desert in between, the largest being the Sua (Sowa), Ntwetwe and Nxai Pans . The largest individual pan
5475-663: Was first known to westerners in the northern part of South Africa a century later, in the 1800s. Some sources claim the name gnu originates from the Khoekhoe name for these animals, t'gnu . Others contend the name and its pronunciation in English go back to the word !nu: used for the black wildebeest by the San people . The genus name Connochaetes derives from the Ancient Greek words κόννος , kónnos ' beard ', and χαίτη , khaítē 'flowing hair, mane '. It
5550-529: Was more plentiful earlier in the Holocene . The lowest place in the basin is Sua Pan with an elevation of 2,920 feet. As the ancestral Lake Makgadikgadi shrank, it left relic shorelines, which are most evident in the southwestern part of the basin. As the lake shrank numerous smaller lakes formed with progressively smaller shorelines. The relic shorelines at elevations of 3100 feet (945 m) and 3018 feet (920 m) can be seen mostly easily on Gidikwe Ridge, west of
5625-504: Was published by the French missionary, E. Casalis in 1841. He changed his mind later, and in a publication from 1882, he noted that the Northern and Southern Sotho languages were distinct from Tswana. Solomon Plaatje , a South African intellectual and linguist , was one of the first writers to extensively write in and about the Tswana language. The vowel inventory of Tswana can be seen below. Some dialects have two additional vowels,
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