Its long legs and hooves are well fashioned for rapidly covering distances over hard terrain. This is important in moving between grazing sites and eluding predators. The wildebeest is capable of sprinting up to 50 miles per hour, exceeding [I 013 / speeds and endurance abilities] of some of its predators.
The wildebeest's sprinting ability is most effective when eluding predators that stalk such as the cats. The top speed of the lion and leopard is about 40 miles per hour and, although, the [V 002 / cheetah can achieve 65 miles per hour], it can only sustain it for about 20 seconds before it overheats. Their heavy legs are not adapted for running distances so the cats must rely on stalking and ambushing their prey.
The speed of the wildebeest is less effective against predators that chase. While the hyena and [P 005 / wild dog] do not have the sprinting ability of the wildebeest, their long-distance running capability is superior. They can sustain speeds up to 35 miles per hour in pursuit of their prey for miles.
