THE BIG FIVE
What are the Africa "Big Five"?
In Africa, the Big Five game animals are the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. The term was coined by big-game hunters, and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot, but is now also widely used by safari tour operators.
The best wildlife parks in Africa offer the above, unique birds, gorillas, crocodiles, gazelles, and so much more. However, there are a few honourable mentions that aren’t on the list such as: African wild dog- cheetah- hippo- the giraffe.
1. The African Leopard (be sure to check the trees)
He is one of the most difficult to spot. Shy and elusive, African leopards like to stay hidden during the day and are active only at night. They are extremely well-designed for camouflage, with spots called “rosettes” covering their coats, are incredibly strong & capable of taking out prey much larger than themselves, superb climbers, often hiding in trees to spot their prey or to hide from predators, excellent swimmer and super fast with running speeds of up to 55 km/hr.
2. The African Lion
The king of the savannah has very few predators, typically only being threatened by cubs being trampled by much larger animals, such as the buffalo. He is the 2nd largest cat in the world (following the tiger).
African Lions will do most of their hunting at night and you will most likely spot them sleeping in shady areas, as they can sleep up to 20 hrs/day. Lionesses usually take on most of the hunt. They corner their prey and work together to bring down much larger animals to feed their pride. Despite the lone hunter tendencies of other big cats, African lions are highly social creatures. They reside in groups called “prides” that typically consist of up to 2 males, a few female lionesses and all their cubs. Female lions have been known to synchronize the birth of their cubs so they can co-raise them in groups. The average lifespan of an African lion in the wild is around 14 years. Many of the cubs don’t survive through adulthood. Adult males often die in fights to defend their territory.
3. The African Elephant
They are the largest & heaviest animals that walk on land today. Because they are able to adapt to a variety of climates, they can be spotted in as much as 37 sub-Saharan countries.
African elephants travel in large herds, led by a “matriarch” elephant. A single group can contain over 100 individual elephants. To communicate, they use a variety of low-frequency rumbles and grunts that are cable of carrying over miles of land.
If you spot a herd of elephants on your Africa Big Five safari, you may see some young calves among them. These are likely to be female, as females stay with their original herds while young males set off to start their own.
A fully grown African elephant consumes an average of 375 pounds of plants a day & 50 gallons of water. Their big ears are engineered by nature to maintain consistent body temperature while evenly dispersing the heat from the African sun.
They are subject to harmful poaching for their ivory tusk as well as their meat. An estimated 100 elephants are being killed every day due to Africa’s poaching crisis.
4. The White or Black Rhino
White & black rhinos aren’t named after their colors and the easiest way to tell them apart is by looking at their lips. Black rhinos have pointed lips, while white rhinos are more flattened.
Black rhinos have a fierce reputation, are usually found solo and prefer to reside in scrubland areas as well as deserts. They can weigh over 3,000 pounds & are often over 12 feet in length.
White rhinos like to hang out in pairs and can often be seen in large, grassy savannah areas.
They both are at risk for extinction due to poachers hunting them for their horns and there are
around 5,000 black rhinos left in the wild and around 20,000 white rhinos.
5. The Cape Buffalo
This water-loving animal is most commonly found in wildlife parks with lots of bodies of water. They like to eat a diet consisting of bushes, tall grass, and other rich greens so you will not find them in desert areas.
Cape buffalos are fiercely tempered, highly dangerous in the wild, can weight over 2,000 pounds and become extremely vicious if they are threatened. They use their enormous curved horns as deadly weapons of defense.
They are social creatures with their own kind, groups of Cape buffalo can be seen in the wild with as many as 1,000 members.
