South Africa has the greatest animals called the Big Five which includes lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. The term Big Five is originally
used by hunters.
Just picture yourself watching the sun over the horizon whilst you
capture the moment of a pride of lions hunting their victim. Staring at a
buffalo walking to a water hole with strength. Viewing the rhino, which is
almost extinct, with its extraordinary horns. And the leopard
with its beauty and skill to hunt. The Big Five are the best animals to witness
when visiting South Africa.
Majority of tourists will never leave South Africa without having
spotted the Big Five. A visit in South Africa without going on a safari to
explore the Big Five is incomplete, so make sure that you discover African
greatest animals before you leave the country.
LION
Lion, the king of the jungle, is part of the well-known Big Five of the
animal empire. Lions are the most common of the cat family. They
live in prides consisting of one or two males, up to seven females and 14 or 15
cubs of different ages. Prides occupy territories that they defend against
nomadic lions and other prides; this is made by the leading male or males, by
means of guarding and smelling marking.
The female lions usually do all the hunting,
regularly at night, late afternoon or early morning.
Lion's prey includes mostly wildebeest,
zebra, waterbuck, kudu, giraffe and buffalo. They also tend to attack young
elephant calves. In difficult times they will even go for small prey, like
porcupine, with disastrous consequences for both.
RHINO
Rhino is part of the famous Big Five of the animal kingdom. There are two types of
Rhinos, namely White and Black Rhinos.
Black Rhinos prefer densely wooded areas, with a lot of shrubs and
plenty of water whilst the White Rhino prefers more grassland.
Black Rhinos are very solitary animals, with bulls associating with
females only for mating. Sub adults and youngsters stay with their mother only
until the next calf is born, when they are driven off to find their own
territories.
The Rhino bulls mark their territory by dragging their feet trough their dung, scattering it all over the place and by urinating on to bushes. They are extremely aggressive animals.
A charge by a Rhino, with is loud snorts, it's a terrifying affair. They readily attack predators including humans. They are also short sighted, but their sense of smell and hearing is very acute. Adult males can weight up to 1200 kg, females being slightly smaller. Their life span is about 40 years. Rhinos are browsers, eating leaves, fruit, flowers, but also herbs.
ELEPHANT
Elephants are very clever and exceptionally social
animals. They live in herds, made up of the matriarch (the oldest animal in the
group), her female calves and the youngsters. The herd can comprise between 6
and 30 animals, after what they split to form new herds, always maintaining
contact with each other at water holes and feeding spots.
At 14 years of age, males leave the heard and associate with other bulls of the same age or older.
Within the "bull area" hierarchy is well observed and understood by all bulls; if a group of bulls come across a cow in oestrus, the animal occupying the highest rank is the one to mate.
Males are much larger than females and their tusks are much longer and heavier.
Elephants have 6 sets of molar teeth; when the last set is lost, the animal is unable to feed and eventually dies. Their life span is about 50 to 60 years.
At 14 years of age, males leave the heard and associate with other bulls of the same age or older.
Within the "bull area" hierarchy is well observed and understood by all bulls; if a group of bulls come across a cow in oestrus, the animal occupying the highest rank is the one to mate.
Males are much larger than females and their tusks are much longer and heavier.
Elephants have 6 sets of molar teeth; when the last set is lost, the animal is unable to feed and eventually dies. Their life span is about 50 to 60 years.
BUFFALO
Buffalo is part of the
famous Big Five of the animal kingdom. They are extremely
adaptable animals, being able to occupy open grasslands, wooded savanna and
thickets.
They are extremely social animals, buffalo associate in herds of up to 1000 or more individuals. Although being very aggressive and extremely dangerous animals, buffaloes are very peaceful amongst themselves.
The dominant bull normally is the oldest bull in the herd. Both sexes have horns, but those of males are more robust and heavier. Males can attain a mass of about 800 kg and they have a life span of approximately 20 years.
Female buffalo become sexually matured at the
age of 5 years. The gestation period is 11 months and one single calf is born.
LEOPARD
Leopards normally hunt
at night and dusk, staying in secluded spots during the day or lying in high
branches of trees. They are solitary animals by nature, only associating with a
female for mating and staying with her only for a couple of days.
Leopards are masters of camouflage and they move silently through the vegetation to attack their prey at very close quarters. The victim is normally killed with a bite on the back of the neck, and then taken up a tree, where the leopard will feed at leisure, away from scavengers.
Leopards are extremely territorial animals. Their life span is about 15 years, and they can attain a mass of about 70-kg.
Leopards are masters of camouflage and they move silently through the vegetation to attack their prey at very close quarters. The victim is normally killed with a bite on the back of the neck, and then taken up a tree, where the leopard will feed at leisure, away from scavengers.
Leopards are extremely territorial animals. Their life span is about 15 years, and they can attain a mass of about 70-kg.
Leopards are the most
successful hunters of the cat family. Their prey includes Impala, Bushbuck,
Warthog and also the young of Wildebeest, Kudu and Waterbuck. Rodents, ground
birds, monkeys, baboons, frogs and fish, also make part of its diet.
