Which antelope is shown in the picture?

Wildebeest are antelopes native to Eastern and Southern Africa. The picture is a blue wildebeest also called a brindled gnu. The other species of wildebeest is the black wildebeest also called a white-tailed gnu.

Blue wildebeest fossils dating to 2.5 million years ago are common and widespread. Both the blue and black species diverged about one million years ago resulting in a northern and southern species. The blue wildebeest remained in its original range and changed very little while the black wildebeest changed more as adaptation to its open grassland habitat in the south.

Distinguishing between the two species is easy due to the differences in coloring and in the way their horns are oriented, specifically the curvature of their horns. The blue wildebeest horns protrude to the side, then curve downwards before curving up back towards the skull. The horns of the black wildebeest curve forward then downward before curving upwards at the tips.

The etymology of the word wildebeest derives from the Dutch meaning “wild beast” or “wild cattle” in Afrikaans. Dutch settlers first discovered wildebeest in about 1700, on their way to the interior of South Africa. Due to their resemblance to wild cattle the Dutch called them “wild ox” or “wildebeest”.