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Wildebeest is Dutch for 'wild beast', 'wild ox' or 'wild cattle' in Afrikaans (bees 'cattle'), [citation needed] The name was given by Dutch settlers who saw them on their way to the interior of South Africa in about 1700 because they resemble wild ox. The blue wildebeest was first known to westerners in the northern part of South Africa a ...
The specific name taurinus originates from the Greek word tauros, which means a bull or bullock. [7] The common name "blue wildebeest" refers to the conspicuous, silvery-blue sheen of the coat, [8] while the alternative name "gnu" originates from the name for these animals used by the Khoikhoi people, a native pastoralist people of southwestern ...
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 German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1780. [3] He based his description on an article written by natural philosopher Jean-Nicolas-Sébastien Allamand in 1776. [2]
In the English language, many animals have different names depending on whether they are male, female, young, domesticated, or in groups. The best-known source of many English words used for collective groupings of animals is The Book of Saint Albans , an essay on hunting published in 1486 and attributed to Juliana Berners . [ 1 ]
Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described—of which around 1 million are insects—but it has been estimated there are over 7 million in total. Animals range in size from 8.5 millionths of a metre to 33.6 metres (110 ft) long and have complex interactions with each other and their environments, forming intricate food webs.
A feral (from Latin fera 'a wild beast') animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some cases, contributed to extinction of indigenous species.
Mainly unchanged from the wild animal Common in captivity, endangered in the wild, feral populations common in parts of Australia and South America [34] [35] 1b Bovidae: Dromedary or Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) [36] Unknown 4000 BCE Arabia, the Horn of Africa: meat, milk, urine, racing, hunting, pack, mount, show, pets Tame, few ...
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population Black wildebeest. C. gnou (Zimmermann, 1780) Southern Africa: Size: 212–242 cm (83–95 in) long, plus 31–45 cm (12–18 in) tail [12] Habitat: Shrubland and grassland [13] Diet: Grass [13] LC 11,200 [13] Blue wildebeest. C. taurinus ...