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What is the role of the wildebeest in the Serengeti?
Wildebeest are the “lawnmowers” of the Serengeti, shearing the grass and keeping the savannah ecosystem healthy in some unexpected ways. Wildebeest are an uncommon example of an herbivore keystone. Every year, approximately 1.3 million of them take part in one of the largest animal migrations on Earth.
How do wildebeest help the Serengeti?
These large mammals are continually on the move, as they seek favorable supplies of grass and water. The famous Serengeti population of wildebeest is a very large nomadic group. By the end of the dry season, the wildebeest have almost exhausted the grazing lands and return to the Serengeti plains as the rains begin.
Why are wildebeest of the Serengeti a keystone species?
Wildebeest are considered “keystone species” by some scientists. That means the animals have a large impact on the ecosystems in which they live. Their grazing and migratory behaviors affect many other species – some for better, some for worse. Wildebeest serve as prey for large carnivores, especially lions.
What’s special about wildebeest?
Wildebeest are unique from other African animals in that they calve within the same short span of time, during the month before or start of peak rainy season. Female wildebeest give birth to one calf in the center of the herd, rather than finding an isolated place, as many antelope species do.
Why are wildebeest called wildebeest?
The name Connochaetes was given by German zoologist Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1812. Dutch settlers first discovered wildebeest in about 1700, on their way to the interior of South Africa. Due to their resemblance to wild cattle, these people called them “wild ox” or “wildebeest”.
How many wildebeest are in the Serengeti?
two million wildebeest
Over two million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move through the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems in search of green pasture, in a regular pattern. This is surely one of the greatest wonders of the natural world.
Would protecting the wildebeest help to protect the stability of the Serengeti ecosystem Why or why not?
12. Would protecting the wildebeest help to protect the stability of the Serengeti ecosystem? Why or why not? It would likely protect the stability of the ecosystem, because of its outsized role in the ecosystem.
What are wildebeest related to?
Gnus, or wildebeests, are large African antelopes. Gnus (pronounced like “news”) are closely related to cattle, goats and sheep. These animals look like thin, muscular cows with large, sloping backs, curved horns and striped bodies. They also have manes and bushy beards.
How does the wildebeest affect the vegetation in the Serengeti?
Horning by wildebeest, in combination with known impacts such as grazing, manuring, and trampling, may result in ecological impacts to Serengeti ecosystems only exceeded by the elephant {Loxodonta africana) and fire. increase of the wildebeest population to about 1.3 million.