African Wildlife - Why they are called the Big Five

                                          African Wildlife - The Big Five                                    _

The phrase Big Five was coined by big game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used by most safari wildlife guides. The collection consist of the Lion, the African Elephant, the African Buffalo, the Leopard and the Rhinoceros, either the Black or the white rhino. The members of the Big Five were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and not their size, which is why the Leopard is on the list and not the enormous Hippopotamus. Big game hunting has since been banned in most African Countries you are only allowed to view them while on your African Safari.

The Big Five are among the most dangerous mammals.





The Lion (Panthera leo) is a large carnivorous feline of Africa and north west India. Having a short tawny coat, a tufted tail and, in the male, a heavy mane around the neck and shoulders.





The African Elephant is a large Herbivore having thick almost hairtless skin, a long flexible prehensile trunk, upper incisors forming long curved tusks of ivory, and large fan shaped ears. There are two distinct species of the African Elephant: African forest Elephant (loxodonta cyclotis) and the African Bush Elephant (loxodonta africana).


The Rhinoceros is a large thick skinned herbivore having one or two upright horns on the snout. In Africa, there are two distinct species of rhinoceros; the Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Both of these species have two upright horns on the snout.



The African Buffalo or cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large horned bovid . It is the most dangerous of the Big Five, reportedly causing the most hunter deaths.








The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is a large carnivorous feline either tawny fur with dark rosette-like markings or black fur. Leopards are the most difficult to see while on your African Wildlife Safari due to their elusive behavior and nocturnal feeding habits.
The rosettes are for Leopards found in Eastern Africa and square for those in Southern Africa.

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