Which antelope species migrates in huge herds across the Serengeti each year?

The blue wildebeest is the antelope species that migrates in huge herds across the Serengeti each year. Also called the common wildebeest or gnu, it is one of Africa’s most recognizable migratory mammals.

The Serengeti migration follows seasonal rainfall and the resulting growth of short, nutritious grasses. The herds move between wet- and dry-season ranges across Tanzania and Kenya, seeking water and forage. Their route is not a perfectly fixed loop; its timing and location can shift with rainfall.

The migration includes roughly 1.5 million or more wildebeest, along with large numbers of zebra and gazelles. Calving occurs on the southeastern Serengeti plains, where hundreds of thousands of calves may be born during the rainy season.

Topi, impala, and gazelles also live in the region, and some gazelles participate in related movements. However, the enormous, famous Serengeti herd migration is chiefly associated with the blue wildebeest.