Since we are talking about the Mara, it’s hotels and lodges, we might as well talk about the wildebeest as we are most likely to meet up with it at the Mare. Perhaps it was your biggest reason for visiting the park.
A few facts about the wildebeest
Its Swahili name is Nyumbu ya monte and its scientific name is Connochetes Taurinus
Believe it or not it is actually a sub- species of the antelopes though it resembles a buffalo. A keen eye would observe that its body looks as if body parts were removed from the air and assembled together; the mane and tail area look like they are from a horse, the fore quarters from an ox and the hindquarters from an antelope.
They are the species that form the largest herds in the Mara.
When young, a calf that has lost its mother will imprint itself on something like a person, car or worse still a predator (read leopard) and follow it.
It is one of the species of animals whose numbers have increased significantly over the years. This could be explained by the fact that they defend one another and also females usually calf during the same time increasing their chances of survival. (There is security in number).
They can’t live without water for more than three straight days.
Their main predators are lions, cheetahs, man and hyenas.
See the eight wonder of the world: The Wildebeest Migration at Ngerende Island lodge
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