It's hard to find a person who has ever been on a safari and has not heard of Africa's big five. Since this country is not at all rich in various historical monuments and unique works of architecture, the entire tourism business is built on the 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 are Africa's big five?
For the first time this term was announced among experienced hunters and meant five prestigious hunting trophies. Among them there is a kind of "Oscar" - the highest award for the capture of all five animals - "Grand Slam". Quite an eerie reward, isn't it? After all, killing five beautiful animals for your own pleasure is, to put it mildly, a dubious occupation.
Fortunately, ontoday, 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: a lion, an elephant, a buffalo, a leopard and a rhinoceros. 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 at all if it was not possible to see all the representatives of the African five.
Lion
The undisputed king of Africa's big five, and indeed of all other animals, is, 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. Zebras, antelopes, giraffes and warthogs become the prey of the lion. Unlike leopards, lions are social animals and do not live alone, but in 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 hunt, while the males protect the offspring and keep order in the pride. However, the first month and a half after the appearance of the cubs, the females are engaged in feeding the cubs. And this happens far from the pride, in dense thickets. Did you know that a lion's roar can be heard at a distance of eight kilometers? In addition, these powerful animals have a different appearance depending on the gender. Sexual dimorphism is unique to these felines.
Elephant
The largest mammal among all land animals on the planet, living in groups of up to a hundred individuals. The African elephant significantly exceeds the size of its Asian counterpart, sometimes the weight of this animal reaches eight tons. If you are planning to go on a safari and see an elephant, then you should remember not to get too close to them. Elephants, although calm animals, are quite dangerous at some times. For example, a female with a cub is considered extremely dangerous and unpredictable. And males become most aggressive during the mating season. This can be determined almost at a glance at the animal - a dark liquid flows down the cheeks from the temporal glands. An angry elephant can attack and even overturn the car, which threatens passengers with rather terrible consequences.
Buffalo
The most dangerous member of Africa's big five, reaching almost 800 kilograms in weight. Buffalo kill more people every year than lions. Among the four large subspecies of this animal, the largest lives in East and South Africa. Buffaloes are calm and very inquisitive animals that gently sniff the car and do not show aggression. However, young calves and their mothers should not be touched or approached. During the drought period, these animals gather in large herds of 1000 individuals, with the smallest - buffaloes - safely protected in the very center. A rather interesting fact about buffaloes is thatthey are protected from parasites by small birds - buffalo starlings. They stay on the animal for quite a long time and peck insects and larvae from the fur.
Leopard
The most elusive, beautiful and graceful animal of Africa's big five is the leopard. It can be quite difficult to see this animal, not only because of its high speed of movement, but also because of its nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, leopards hide in the dense foliage of tall trees. These animals are inherently solitary 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 up a tree, where hyenas and other predators cannot take it away. Leopards not only run fast (their speed reaches 60 km / h), but also jump high (up to 3 meters in height), and also swim well. There is a rather horrific fact about male leopards - they are able to eat their cubs, so the female builds a den for them in secret from her father.
Rhino
In Africa, you can find two types of rhinos: white and black. Both of them are endangered due to active poachers. Today, there are about 4,000 blacks and 17,000 whites of one of Africa's big five species on the entire continent. Animals differ from each other not so much in skin color (it is sometimes difficult to see it under a layer of dirt), but in the structure of the lower jaw. The white rhino has a wider and flatter lip, while the black one has a more pointed, similaron the beak Initially, the big five included the black rhinoceros, 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 the female lasts from 13 to 16 months. Outwardly, it seems that these massive animals are very clumsy, but this is absolutely not the case. The speed of movement of the animal often exceeds 60 kilometers per hour. Moreover, rhinos are quite aggressive and quick-tempered, especially for females with cubs. Little rhinos are in continuous communication with their mother until almost two years old and continue to suck milk. Despite their impressive size and menacing appearance, rhinos are herbivores and rarely attack humans.
