Take a look at Africa’s pride, coined the ‘Big Five’ by hunters who claimed they were the hardest animals to hunt on foot.
Nowadays, the term has a much friendlier connotation in reference to the African lion, African elephant, the Cape buffalo, African leopard and the rhinoceros.
Take a look at the baby version of our land’s most impressive animals:
African lion, (Panthera leo):
Is one of the big cats that graze our African grass. Being the second largest cat followed by the tiger, the African lion is actively mainly at night and often at twilight. They are mainly scavengers and get up to 50 percent of their meat intake in this way. The lioness does most of the hunting while the male protects the pride and cubs.
African elephant (of the genus Loxodonta):
The bush elephant is most commonly seen roaming the African planes. It is the largest living terrestrial animal. Sadly, the long tusks of the majestic beauty are often hunted for the ivory trade. Both the bush elephant and the forest elephant have been classified by United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre as ‘vulnerable’.
Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer):
One of the more distinctive of the buffalo species due to their fused adult horns. They can be harmful to humans due to their unpredictable nature but are considered bovine. The calves are usually reddish brown in colour.
African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus):
Much like the African lion, the leopard is active during sunrise and sunset. They have a nifty knack of adapting to prey availability. They can feed on the smallest prey such as the dung beetle, to the waterbuck or eland. Also, they have an immense strength and agility which enables them to climb large trees (perfect for shade and camouflage).
Rhinoceros (black: Diceros bicornis or white: Ceratotherium simum):
Rhinos are known for the massive size, thick hide (1.5 to 5 cm thick) and their large horns. They feed on leafy vegetation, plants and grass. In the wild, the adult black or white rhino has no predators except for humans. Rhinos are hunted and killed for their horns. Click on Save The Rhino website to find out ways to help prevent this animal from becoming extinct.
