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How far do wildebeests and zebras travel during seasonal migrations in the Serengeti?
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Migration
A herd of common wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) migrating across a dusty savanna in Africa. The animal is a keystone species (i.e., a species with a disproportionately large effect on its biological community) in plains and acacia savanna ecosystems from southeastern Africa to central Kenya.
In the Serengeti region of Tanzania, wildebeests and zebras travel more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) during their seasonal migrations.1
These movements are driven by the succession of wet and dry seasons, which significantly alter the habitat. During the wet season (typically November to May), the herds graze on the southeastern plains of the Serengeti. As the dry season approaches in late May or June, the animals migrate westward into woodland savanna and northward toward the grasslands of the Mara (Masai Mara National Reserve) in search of better grazing and water. They return to the southeastern plains around November when the short rains begin.12