A Baby Wildebeest's First Steps
In A Baby Wildebeest's First Steps, narrator Gordon Buchanan describes how a wildebeest is born on the savanna, which stretches across almost half of Africa and is home to millions of animals. The baby wildebeest immediately begins learning to walk. By the end of the day, it is one of the fastest land animals. The wildebeest uses speed, constant movement, and safety in numbers to avoid predators. This video is excerpted from BBC's Animal Babies, a heartwarming show that follows the first breaths, first steps, and first feeds of some adorable baby animals, revealing the challenges they face to survive in some of the toughest but most beautiful places on the planet.
Three wildlife camera operators follow six iconic baby animals as they face the challenges of surviving their first year on Earth. Learn more.
Lesson Express
Q: How would you describe the savanna habitat?
A: Low, grassy plains with few trees. Home to many millions of animals — elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, zebras, rhinos, lions, wildebeest, etc. It covers almost half of Africa. The weather constantly changes, from long periods of very dry weather to downpouring rain. It has more large predators than anywhere else in the world.
Q: How does the baby wildebeest protect itself after it's born?
A: It begins learning to walk immediately and is always on the move. It can run at 50 mph.
Q: How is there safety in numbers for the wildebeest?
A: There are so many calves born each day, a calf would be very unlikely to be the one targeted by a predator.
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