Wildebeest The wildebeest ( , , plural wildebeest, wildebai, or wildebeests, wildebeesties (juv)), also called the gnu ( ) is an antelope of the genus "Connochaetes". "Wildebeest" is Dutch for "wild beast" or "wild cattle" in Afrikaans ("bees" "cattle"), while "Connochaetes" derives from the Greek words κόννος, "kónnos", "beard", and χαίτη, "khaítē", "flowing hair", "mane". Some sources claim the name "gnu" originates from the Khoikhoi name for these animals, "t'gnu". Others contend the name and its pronunciation in English go back to the word "!nu:" used for the black wildebeest by the San people. The wildebeest, genus "Connochaetes", is placed under
Black wildebeest to hybridise with its taxonomically close relative, the blue wildebeest. Male black wildebeest have been reported to mate with female blue wildebeest and vice versa. The differences in social behaviour and habitats have historically prevented interspecific hybridisation between the species, but hybridisation may occur when they are both confined within the same area. The resulting offspring is usually fertile. A study of these hybrid animals at Spioenkop Dam Nature Reserve in South Africa revealed that many had disadvantageous abnormalities relating to their teeth, horns, and the wormian bones in the skull. Another study reported an increase in the size of