Safari Stars – White-bearded Wildebeests

One of the best rides at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Kilimanjaro Safaris. Guests ride on a big safari vehicle and get to see lots of African animals in their habitat. I love to take pictures of all the animals, but when I get home I often wish I knew the names of the animals in my pictures and maybe some facts about them. In Safari Stars, my new series, I will introduce you to 10 African animals found on Kilimanjaro Safaris. Along with a picture and their name I’ll give you 5 fun facts about each animal. Happiness Squared. Today’s animal is the white-bearded wildebeest.

White-bearded wildebeests are a sub-species of wildebeests. Most wildebeests have black beards. I find it interesting that Disney picked the less common of the two to display. Perhaps they did this so we would realize that something may be abundant, but that doesn’t mean we should stop noticing what makes them unique. This is a fun animal to look for on the ride because you will probably find one. They are plentiful in the park and in the wild.

5 fun facts about white-bearded wildebeests:

1) Every year the wildebeests migrate to find fresh grass and water. More than a million animals travel on this yearly migration.

2) The animals migrate in long columns that can stretch thousands of miles.

3) Wildebeests have a more dense herd population than any other animal except humans.

4) Newborn wildebeests can stand and run 3 to 7 minutes after being born.

5)Wildebeests are also called gnus because of the sound they make.

Did you know that wildebeests and gnus are the same animal?

Goofy Tip: If you are looking for more information on animals Seaworld’s website is a fun place to explore. This website has information about lots of animals, not just marine ones. They also have a good bibliography so you can do more research on your favorite animals. I wonder if the wildebeest is anyone’s favorite animal.