Blue wildebeest is placed in the family Bovidae, ruminant animals with cloven hooves. The generic name "Connochaetes" derives from the Greek words κόννος, kónnos, "beard", and χαίτη, khaítē, "flowing hair", "mane". The specific name "taurinus" originates from the Greek word "tauros", which means a bull or bullock. The common name "blue wildebeest" refers to the conspicuous, silvery-blue sheen of the coat, while the alternative name "gnu" originates from the name for these animals used by the Khokloi people, a native pastoralist people of southwestern Africa. Though the blue and black wildebeest are currently classified in the same genus, the latter was previously
Wildebeest (ride) the water coaster was long, making it the longest coaster in the world at the time (Holiday World's second water coaster, Mammoth, would later claim that title). During the construction of "Wildebeest", producers from the National Geographic Channel's "World's Toughest Fixes" visited the park to document the progress. "Wildebeest" opened on May 7, 2010. When the HydroMagnetic water coaster opened, it operated with fourteen 4-passenger boats. The riders in each boat are seated toboggan-style, rather than facing each other as on most traditional water slides. "Wildebeest" features two stations: a station for loading and a station for unloading. To enter