They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes true antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed horned ungulates.

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.

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.

[11][additional citation(s) needed] The genus name Connochaetes derives from the Ancient Greek words κόννος, kónnos 'beard',[12] and χαίτη, khaítē 'flowing hair, mane'.

[15] According to a mitochondrial DNA analysis, the black wildebeest are estimated to have diverged from the main lineage during the Middle Pleistocene and became a distinct species around a million years ago.

[20][failed verification] Blue wildebeest fossils dating back some 2.5 million years ago are common and widespread.

[21] 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.

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.

[29] The most striking morphological differences between the black and blue wildebeest are the orientation and curvature of their horns and the colour of their coats.

[36] 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).

[37] In 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.

Its range includes Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini and Angola.

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.

[41] In the Serengeti and Tarangire ecosystems, populations are mostly migratory, with herds consisting of both sexes frequently moving, but resident subpopulations also exist.

The reason for 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.

[43] 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.

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.

Factors suspected to affect migration include food abundance, surface water availability, predators, and phosphorus content in grasses.

[29] One study found, in addition to phosphorus, wildebeest select ranges containing grass with relatively high nitrogen content.

[46] 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 a herd of wildebeest possesses what is known as a "swarm intelligence", whereby the animals systematically explore and overcome the obstacle as one.

Wildebeest have developed additional sophisticated cooperative behaviours, such as animals taking turns sleeping while others stand guard against a night attack by invading predators.

[55] Wildebeest compete with domesticated livestock for pasture and are sometimes blamed by farmers for transferring diseases and parasites to their cattle.

[56] 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.

The calves weigh about 21 kg (46 lb) at birth[14] and scramble to their feet within minutes, being able to move with the herd soon afterwards,[33] a fact on which their survival relies.

[60] The black wildebeest has been classified as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in the IUCN Red List.

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 the wildebeest population to less than 10% of its previous size.

Wild individuals can be competitors of commercial livestock, and can transmit diseases and cause epidemics among animals, particularly domestic cattle.

In the 1970s, British tea brand Typhoo ran a series of television advertisements featuring an animated anthropomorphic gnu character.