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The black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (''Connochaetes gnou'') is one of the two closely related wildebeest species. It is a member of the genus ''Connochaetes'' and family Bovidae. It was first described in 1780 by Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann. The black wildebeest is typically between in head-and-body length, and the average weight is . Males stand up to approximately at the shoulder, while the height of the females is . The black wildebeest is characterised by its white, long, horse-like tail. It also has a dark brown to black coat and long, dark-coloured hair between its forelegs and under its belly. The black wildebeest is a herbivore, and almost the whole diet consists of grasses. Water is an essential requirement. There are three distinct social groups: the female herds, the bachelor herds and the territorial bulls. They are fast runners, and communicate using a variety of visual and vocal communication. The primary breeding season for the black wildebeest is from February to April. A single calf is usually born after a gestational period of about eight and a half months. The calf remains with its mother until her next calf is born a year later. The black wildebeest inhabits open plains, grasslands and Karoo shrublands. The natural populations of black wildebeest, endemic to the southern part of Africa, were almost completely exterminated in the 19th century, due to their reputation as pests and the value of their hides and meat. However, the species has been reintroduced widely from captive specimens, both in private areas and nature reserves throughout most of Lesotho, Swaziland, and South Africa. It has also been introduced outside its natural range in Namibia and Kenya. ==Taxonomy and evolution== The scientific name of the black wildebeest is ''Connochaetes gnou''. The animal is placed in the genus ''Connochaetes'' and family Bovidae and was first described by the German zoologist, Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1780. He based his description on an article written by natural philosopher Jean-Nicolas-Sébastien Allamand in 1776.〔 The generic name ''Connochaetes'' derives from the Greek words κόννος, kónnos, "beard", and χαίτη, khaítē, "flowing hair", "mane". The specific name "gnou" originates from the Khoikhoi name for these animals, gnou.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnu )〕 The common name "gnu" is also said to have originated from the Hottentot name T'gnu, which refers to the repeated calls of "ge-nu" by the bull in the mating season.〔 The black wildebeest was first discovered in the northern part of South Africa in the 1800s.〔 The black wildebeest is currently included in the same genus as the blue wildebeest (''Connochaetes taurinus''). This has not always been the case and at one time the latter was placed under a separate genus of its own, ''Gorgon''. The black wildebeest lineage seems to have diverged from the blue wildebeest in the mid to late Pleistocene, and became a distinct species around a million years ago.〔 This evolution is quite recent on a geologic time scale. Features necessary for defending a territory such as the horns and broad-based skull of the modern black wildebeest, have been found in their fossil ancestors. The earliest known fossil remains are in sedimentary rock in Cornelia in the Orange Free State and date back about eight hundred thousand years. Fossils have also been reported from the Vaal River deposits, though it is unclear whether or not they are as ancient as those found in Cornelia. Horns of the black wildebeest have been found in sand dunes near Hermanus in South Africa. This is far beyond the recorded range of the species and it has been suggested that these animals may have migrated to that region from the Karoo.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「black wildebeest」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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