Why the wildebeest is the unlikely king of the Serengeti

The annual migration of this awkward-looking antelope through Kenya and Tanzania drives a complex circle of life.

Wildebeests plunge down a steep bank along the Mara River during their quest for water and fresh grassland. Some 1.3 million each year follow seasonal rains in a clockwise loop from Tanzania into Kenya and back—the largest land migration on the planet.

This is one of five stories that explore the greater Serengeti region and its ecosystem. Read the rest of those stories here.

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