Zebra and wildebeest
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bamford
I'm getting the impression that zebra and wildebeest get along! I've seen lots of pictures of them together, but for other animals there is typically only one species present. Do they actually travel around together, or do they just not mind one another?
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biminibob
I think the flight type animals are happy to merge. More pairs of eyes looking out for predators.
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aliburchard
scientist, translator
In Serengeti, both wildebeest and zebra tend to migrate together - you'll see them often in mixed groups. There have been various ideas about why they do this -- although safety from predators is likely to contribute to this behavior. If you're a prey animal, the more friends you've got with you, the less likely you're the one chosen for dinner. Also, the more of you there are, the better the chances that someone will spot a lion stalking in the tall grass...
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Really interesting topic. so why don't the gazelle's join them too? Are zebras and wildebeest more migratory, while gazelles tend to have a smaller area? Or are gazelles just not as smart?
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I have no idea what the science is, but if I were the size of a gazelle I'm not sure I'd think it was beneficial to get into the middle of a large group of great big grazing animals who might a) stampede and crush me and b) block my view of the surroundings. But then, I assume gazelles do not possess quite the same critical thinking skills as us... 😃
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derek1g
Natural selection has amazing power over animal behavior. Considering that those 3 animals have been living around each other for >100,000 generations I'd guess that if it were beneficial for the gazelles to hang with the bigger guys, they would. There are also food preference issues to consider: Maybe the larger herbivores trample the gazelle's food, or maybe their preferred foods grow in different micro-climates.
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schumakl
I did see a group including gazelles, zebra and wildebeest.
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craigpacker
scientist
The Serengeti is famous for its "grazing succession." Bulk-feeding zebra eat the coarser grasses, the wildebeest then mow down the partially shortened grasses, then the gazelle follow up by feeding on the green growing tips of the intensively mowed lawn. Wildebeest and zebra are often found together when the migrating herds are on the move. The wildebeest prefer shorter grasses in amongst the taller tufts fed on by the zebra -- and the zebra and wildebeest sometimes seek each other out in lion habitat. Lions seem to prefer zebra to wildebeest, so the zebra sometimes keep themselves safely surrounded by wildebeest.
Gazelle, on the other hand, are mostly hunted by cheetah, leopards and wild dogs - who specialize on smaller prey than do lions. So the gazelle get less of a "dilution effect" when traveling with wildebeest. And gazelle really do love those fresh growing green lawns that are too short for the wildebeest.Posted
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thowes
Thanks for that brilliant explanation!
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