Black wildebeest the hybrid as compared to either of its parents. In some animals, the auditory bullae are highly deformed, and in others, the radius and ulna are fused. Black wildebeest are sexually dimorphic, with females being smaller in size and more slender than males. The head-and-body length is typically between . Males reach about at the shoulder, while females reach . Males typically weigh and females . A distinguishing feature in both sexes is the tail, which is long and similar to that of a horse. Its bright-white colour gives this animal the vernacular name of "white-tailed gnu", and also distinguishes
Wildebeest hunting is a major conservation concern in many areas, along with natural threats posed by main predators (which include lions, leopards, African hunting dogs, cheetahs and hyenas). Where the black and blue wildebeest share a common range, the two can hybridise, and this is regarded as a potential threat to the black wildebeest. The black wildebeest has been classified as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in the "IUCN Red List". The populations of this species are on an increase. Now, more than 18,000 individuals are believed to remain, 7,000 of which are in Namibia,