Big five game

Last updated

The big five Big five gam.jpg
The big five

In Africa, the Big five game animals are the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and African buffalo. [1] The term was coined by big-game hunters to refer to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot, [2] [3] [4] but is now more widely used by game viewing tourists and safari tour operators. [5] [2] [6] They are examples of charismatic megafauna, featuring prominently in popular culture, and are among the most famous of Africa's large animals.

Contents

The 1990 and later releases of South African rand banknotes feature a different big-five animal on each denomination. Countries where all can be found include Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe. [7] [8]

Species

Elephant

African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) Elephant Kruger 2003.jpg
African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)

The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) are the largest extant land-based animals. Elephants are herbivores with thick, almost hairless skin; a long, flexible, prehensile trunk; upper incisors forming long, curved, ivory tusks; and large, fan-shaped ears. Elephants are difficult to hunt because, despite their large size, they are able to hide in thick bush and are more likely to charge than the other Big Five species. They become aggressive when their young are threatened. [9]

Rhinoceros

Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) Black rhinos in crater.jpg
Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis)

The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) are large herbivores with two upright horns on their nasal bridge. The black rhino is classified as critically endangered and the white rhino as near threatened, and both are subject to extensive poaching. Among big-five game hunters, the black rhinoceros is more highly prized. [10] The current existing rhinos throughout the savanna are southern white rhinoceros, eastern black rhinoceros, south-western black rhinoceros and south-central black rhinoceros.

African buffalo

African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) African Buffalo.JPG
African buffalo (Syncerus caffer)

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large horned bovid. It is the only animal among the Big Five that is not on the "endangered" or "threatened" list. [11] The Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) is considered by many to be the most dangerous of any of the Big Five: [12] buffalos have reportedly been known to ambush and attack humans. [13]

Lion

Lion (Panthera leo) Lion waiting in Namibia crop.jpg
Lion (Panthera leo)

The lion (Panthera leo) is a large, carnivorous feline found in both Africa and northwestern India. It has a short, tawny coat; a tufted tail; and, in the male, a heavy mane around the neck and shoulders. As a large and charismatic apex predator with cultural significance, lions are among the most popular species to view on safari tours. [14] [15] [16]

Leopard

African leopard (Panthera pardus) Leopard (Panthera pardus) male ... (51890626416).jpg
African leopard (Panthera pardus)

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is a large, carnivorous feline. Its fur is generally tawny with dark rosette-shaped markings. The leopard is the most seldom seen of the Big Five because of its nocturnal habits (it is most active between sunset and sunrise, although it may hunt during the day in some areas), and because it is wary of humans and will take flight in the face of danger. Leopards can be located in the grasslands, dense brushes, deserts, and forested areas of African savannas.

Conservation status

Africa's Big Five have become major concerns for wildlife conservationists in recent years. The African lion and African leopard are both classified as vulnerable. The African savanna elephant is listed as endangered by the IUCN as of 2021. The southern white rhinoceros and African buffalo are classified as near threatened while the black rhinoceros is classified as critically endangered. [17]

The big five in art Big Five Game.jpg
The big five in art

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black rhinoceros</span> Species of mammal

The black rhinoceros is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern Africa and southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Although the species is referred to as black, its colours vary from brown to grey. It is the only extant species of the genus Diceros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African buffalo</span> Bovine species

The African buffalo is a large sub-Saharan African bovine. There are five subspecies that are recognized as being valid:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Midlands Safari Park</span> Safari park in Worcestershire, England

West Midlands Safari Park is a safari park located in Bewdley in Worcestershire, England. It was opened under the name of West Midland Safari Park in Spring 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White rhinoceros</span> Species of large land mammal

The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists of two subspecies: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 16,803 wild-living animals, and the much rarer northern white rhinoceros. The northern subspecies has very few remaining individuals, with only two confirmed left in 2018. Sudan, the world's last known male northern white rhinoceros, died in Kenya on 19 March 2018 at age 45.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilanesberg National Park</span> Wildlife reserve in an extinct volcano in South Africa

The Pilanesberg National Park is located north of Rustenburg in the North West Province of South Africa. The park borders on the Sun City entertainment complex. It is administered by the North West Parks and Tourism Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White hunter</span> Term used for professional big-game hunters

White hunter is a literary term used for professional big game hunters of European descent, from all over the world, who plied their trade in Africa, especially during the first half of the 20th century. The activity continues in the dozen African countries which still permit big-game hunting. White hunters derived their income from organizing and leading safaris for paying clients, or from the sale of ivory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic</span> Forest and savanna ecoregion of Central Africa

The Northern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic is a forest and savanna ecoregion of central Africa. It extends east and west across central Africa, covering parts of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda. It is part of the belt of transitional forest-savanna mosaic that lie between Africa's moist equatorial Guineo-Congolian forests and the tropical dry forests, savannas, and grasslands to the north and south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern black rhinoceros</span> Critically endangered rhinoceros subspecies

The eastern black rhinoceros, also known as the East African black rhinoceros, is a subspecies of the black rhinoceros. Its numbers are very low due to poaching for its horn, and it is listed as critically endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Zimbabwe</span>

The wildlife of Zimbabwe occurs foremost in remote or rugged terrain, in national parks and private wildlife ranches, in miombo woodlands and thorny acacia or kopje. The prominent wild fauna includes African buffalo, African bush elephant, black rhinoceros, southern giraffe, African leopard, lion, plains zebra, and several antelope species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Kenya</span>

The wildlife of Kenya refers to its fauna. The diversity of Kenya's wildlife has garnered international fame, especially for its populations of large mammals. Mammal species include lion, cheetah hippopotamus, African buffalo, wildebeest (Connochaetes), African bush elephant, zebra (Equus), giraffe (Giraffa), and rhinoceros. Kenya has a very diverse population of birds, including flamingo and common ostrich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Zambia</span>

The wildlife of Zambia refers to the natural flora and fauna of Zambia. This article provides an overview, and outline of the main wildlife areas or regions, and compact lists of animals focusing on prevalence and distribution in the country rather than on taxonomy. More specialized articles on particular groups are linked from here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luengue-Luiana National Park</span> National park in Cuando Cubango Province, Angola

Luengue-Luiana National Park is a national park in Angola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambezian coastal flooded savanna</span>

The Zambezian coastal flooded savanna is a flooded grasslands and savannas ecoregion in Mozambique. It includes the coastal flooded savannas and grasslands in the deltas of the Zambezi, Pungwe, Buzi, and Save rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little five game</span> Marketing term used by African tourism

In Africa, the little five game animals are defined as the:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern miombo woodlands</span>

The Southern miombo woodlands is a tropical grasslands and woodlands ecoregion extending across portions of Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry miombo woodlands</span> Ecoregion in Africa

The dry miombo woodlands is an ecoregion in Africa. It has an area of 1,185,632 square kilometres (457,775 sq mi), covering portions of Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Angola.

References

  1. Capstick, Peter H. (1984). Safari, the last adventure. St. Martin's Press. p. 148. ISBN   978-0-312-69657-3. Generally known as the "Big Five," the group we're talking about comprises lion, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo and rhino, although not necessarily in that order.
  2. 1 2 Zijlma, Anouk. "The Big Five: Index". Africa for Visitors. About.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  3. Capstick, Peter H. (1983). Death in the Dark Continent. St. Martin's Press. p. 13. ISBN   978-0-312-18615-9. No human being could begin to outrun any of the big five, nor would he last more than a few seconds in any contest of strength.
  4. Du Toit, Richard (2001). Africa's Big Five. Struik Publishers. ISBN   978-1-86872-582-3.
  5. "Understanding and Protecting the Big Five in South Africa". goeco.org. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  6. Nelson, Marsea. "Ten Wild Facts about the "Big Five"". www.worldwildlife.org. worldwildlife.org. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  7. Planet, Lonely (28 October 2013). "Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2014 - top 10 countries". lonelyplanet.com.
  8. "Rhinos Return to Rwanda's Akagera National Park after 10 Years". ugandatravelblog.com. 2 May 2017. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  9. Fodor's African Safari, 1st Edition: From Budget to Big Spending Where and How to Find the Best Big Game Adventure in Southern and Eastern Africa. Fodor's. 2004. p.  142. ISBN   978-1-4000-1234-3.
  10. "Current Zoology" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2022.
  11. Stumpf, Bruce G. "Africa on the Matrix: The Cape Buffalo". Archived from the original on 20 December 2002. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  12. Wieland, Terry (2006). Dangerous-Game Rifles. Countrysport Press. p. 286. ISBN   978-0-89272-691-2.
  13. "African Animals Hunting facts and tips - Buffalo Hunting". safariBwana newsletter. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  14. Capstick, Peter H. (1984). Safari, the last adventure. St. Martin's Press. p. 165. ISBN   978-0-312-69657-3.
  15. "African Lion". safaribwana.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  16. Robinson, Steve (2008). "Unpleasant Truth About Canned Shooting". shakariconnection.com. Shakari Connection. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  17. "Diceros bicornis".