The Black Wildebeest (also known fondly as the Swart Wildebeest in local Afrikaans) can be distinguished by its black or dark brown coat, and it’s white, horse-like tail. This tail is distinctly different from that of the Blue Wildebeest species, which has a black tail. This is why the Black Wildebeest is also known as the White-Tailed Gnu.

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Black Wildebeest are slightly paler in summer, with coarser, darker coats in the winter. They are incredibly fast runners for their size and communicate using a variety of visual and vocal communications. Their favourite pastures tend to be open plains and grasslands, which make for a challenging hunt.

The adult male usually measures anywhere between 111 and 121cm in height and can weigh up to 157kg; females usually reach a maximum height of 116cm and a weight of 122kgs. The male Black Wildebeest is also much darker in colour to the female.

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Calves have shaggy, fawn-coloured coats and are with their mothers until about a year.

Although their coats and tails are different to the Blue Wildebeest, Black Wildebeest have bushy, dark-tipped manes, similar to that of their cousins. On the jaw and muzzle you will notice a black bristly beard.

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