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
Blue wildebeest Nature rates the blue wildebeest as being of least concern. However, the numbers of the eastern white-bearded wildebeest ("C. t. albojubatus") have seen a steep decline to a current level of probably 6,000 to 8,000 animals, and this is causing some concern. As one of the major herbivores of southern and eastern Africa, the blue wildebeest plays an important role in the ecosystem, and is a main prey item for large predators such as the lion. It is one of the animals that draws tourists to the area to observe big game, and as such, it is of major economic