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 found to be hosts to 13 species of nematodes, one trematode, larvae of five oestrid flies, three species of lice, seven ixodid tick species, one mite, and the larvae of a tongue worm. Of these, most were more prevalent at some times of the year than others. Generally, the larvae of "Gedoelstica" and "Oestrus" occur in the nasal passages and respiratory cavities of the blue wildebeest, and sometimes migrate to the brain. Compared to some other bovids, blue wildebeest are resistant to infestations by several species of ticks. The blue wildebeest is mostly active during the morning and the late