In Africa's cast of players, the ignoble gnu or wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) takes the role of
clown, for its peculiar looks and its frolicking acts. Wildlife film producers love wildebeest are beloved because
of the vast herds they form during seasonal migrations, and as they cross rivers, their subsequent victimization by
crocodiles. But wildebeest are survivors, and by virtue of their vast numbers they sustain significant
populations of various predators. The huge herds begin forming in September to follow seasonal rains. This pair was
photographed at Amboseli National Park, in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, near where the journey begins.
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