It is difficult to find a person who at least once went on a safari and did not hear about the Big Five of Africa. Since this country is completely not rich in various historical monuments and unique works of architecture, the entire tourism business is built on a demonstration of wildlife. In this article, we will tell you about the main attraction of wild South Africa - the Big Five. In addition, you will learn the history of this term and enjoy photos of the main animals of the Black Continent.
What is the Big Five of Africa?
For the first time this term was voiced among experienced hunters and implied five prestigious hunting trophies. Among them there is a kind of Oscar - the highest award for the capture of all five animals - the Grand Slam. Pretty creepy reward, isn't it? After all, the killing of five beautiful animals for their own pleasure is a dubious occupation, to put it mildly.
Fortunately, to date, visitors to the National Park are equipped only with cameras, and their main goal is only the process of admiring, and not hunting for the big five of Africa. It consists of: lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino. It is believed that the capture of these large and especially dangerous animals is an incredibly difficult task. For some tourists, a safari is considered unsuccessful if it did not work out to see all the representatives of the five of Africa.
a lion
The undisputed king of the Big Five of Africa, and all other animals - of course, the lion. The second largest cat in the world has a weight of about 250 kilograms. At one time, this predatory animal can eat about 40-50 kilograms of meat. Most often they hunt at night, but sometimes you can see this process during the day. The prey of a lion is zebras, antelopes, giraffes and warthogs. Unlike leopards, lions are social animals and live not by themselves, but by prides. Each pride consists of several females, 2-4 males and cubs, whose age does not exceed three years. Interestingly, it is the females who are engaged in hunting, while the males protect the offspring and monitor the order in the pride. However, the first half months after the appearance of the cubs, the females are engaged in feeding the lions. And this happens away from the pride, in dense thickets. But did you know that the lion's roar can be heard at a distance of eight kilometers? In addition, these powerful animals have a different appearance depending on gender. Sexual dimorphism is inherent only to these representatives of the cat family.
Elephant
The largest mammal among all land animals on the planet, living in groups of up to one hundred individuals. The African elephant significantly exceeds the size of its Asian counterpart, sometimes the weight of this animal reaches eight tons. If you plan to go on a safari and look at the elephant, then you should remember that you should not get very close to them. Elephants, although calm animals, are quite dangerous in some periods. For example, a female with a cub is considered extremely dangerous and unpredictable. And males become the most aggressive during the mating season. This can be determined practically from one glance at the animal - a dark liquid flows from the temporal glands along the cheeks. An angry elephant can attack and even turn over the car, which threatens quite terrible consequences for passengers.
Buffalo
The most dangerous representative of the Big Five of Africa, reaching a weight of almost 800 kilograms. Water buffaloes kill people much more every year than lions. Among the four large subspecies of this animal, the largest lives in East and South Africa. Buffalos are calm and very curious animals that gently sniff a car and do not show aggression. However, it is better not to touch or approach young calves and their mothers. During the period of drought, these animals gather in large herds, consisting of 1000 individuals, the smallest - buffalo - are protected in the center. A rather interesting fact about buffaloes is the fact that they are protected from parasites by small birds - buffalo starlings. They have been on the animal for quite some time and peck insects and larvae from the wool.
Leopard
The most elusive, beautiful and graceful animal of the Big Five of Africa is the leopard. It is quite difficult to see this animal, not only because of its high speed of movement, but also because of the nocturnal lifestyle. In the afternoon, leopards hide in the dense foliage of tall trees. These animals are essentially loners and do not stay in one place for more than a few days. In addition, these beauties are very strong - they are able to drag their prey onto a tree, where hyenas and other predators cannot take it. Leopards not only run fast (their speed reaches 60 km / h), but also jump high (up to 3 meters in height), and also swim perfectly. There is a rather terrifying fact about leopard males - they are able to eat their cubs, so the female builds a den for them secretly from her father.
Rhinoceros
In Africa, you can find two types of rhinos: white and black. Both of them are threatened with extinction due to the vigorous activity of poachers. Today, there are about 4,000 black and 17,000 white representatives of one of the species of the Big Five of Africa on the whole continent. Animals differ from each other not so much in skin color (it is sometimes difficult to make out under a layer of dirt), but in the structure of the lower jaw. The white rhino has a wider and flatter lip, and the black rhino has a more pointed, similar to a beak. Initially, the big five included the black rhino, but today both species of the animal are included in it. The weight of an adult can reach three tons, and the gestation period of a female lasts from 13 to 16 months. Outwardly, it seems that these massive animals are very clumsy, but this is completely not so. The speed of movement of the animal often exceeds 60 kilometers per hour. Moreover, rhinos are quite aggressive and short-tempered, especially for females with cubs. Small rhinoceroses are in constant contact with their mother until almost two years old and continue to suck milk. Despite its impressive size and formidable appearance, rhinos are herbivores and rarely attack humans.