If you are a safari lover then you are on the right platform as you will get to know about the Big 5 of Africa right on one platform. Here, you will know what exactly the big 5 is and which thing is unique about these animals. So, let us find out interesting facts about the big 5.
African Elephant
The African elephant is one of the endangered animals. They are the world's largest as well as heaviest species on earth with a weight of 2000 to 60200 kg. Their babies when born have a weight of around 250 pounds. You can see this species in 37 sub-Saharan countries.
Their life is approximately 70 years. The gestation period of elephants is 2 years. It is the longest period among all mammals. A female elephant can reproduce children at the age of 16 years. But they generally don’t have more than 4 children. Male elephants leave their herds at an age between 12 to 15 years.
They eat 300 to 500 pounds of food per day and can spend time eating for 16 hours a day. Their eyesight is not that good but they have the largest brains among all animals. Their trunk has approximately 40,000 muscles that can sense the object’s temperature, size, and shape.
African Buffalo
African Buffalo is one of the species whose population has been decreasing year by year. They have the incredible ability to smell as well as hear as compared with eyesight. To stay protected from predators, weaker or younger stay in the center while they travel in herds. When these buffalos are injured, they become highly aggressive and it is one of the main facts that brings African Buffalo into the Big 5.
They are also popular for hunting more animals than any other species and are also known for ambush hunting. The buffalo’s neck is thick around 2 inches and they have exceptional memory power. Their weight is approximately 590 kg.
Lion
After Tiger, the African Lion is the largest cat in the world. Lions live in a group which is called Pride. The size of pride highly depends on the water and food availability. Generally, a pride has 3 males and the rest are females with their children.
Males protect the territory which is extended by approximately 260 square kilometers. Lions with thick manes protect other animals of their pride whereas the first job of the female lions is to hunt and take care of their children. Darker manes give signs of the increasing age of Lions.
You can hear Lion’s roar from 8 km away as they have the loudest roar among all cats. To catch every prey, whether small or big, they hunt together. Male Lions are the first ones to eat the food.
Rhinoceros
You can see two types of rhinoceros i.e. white rhino and black rhino. Normally, there are 5 rhino species but the largest is Square Lipped Rhino or White Rhino.
The interesting fact about Rhinos is that they can walk for 10 minutes after they are born.
Approximately 20,000 southern white rhinos live in southern Africa, there are many conservation plans taking place to enhance the black rhino population which is critically endangered. This species is majorly found in southern and eastern Africa. The weight of a white rhino is 2,300 kg whereas the weight of a black rhino is 1,400 kg
African Leopard
African Leopards are nocturnal animals and are endangered these days. They can run speedily i.e. up to 57 km/h and are outstanding swimmers. The range of the leap of African Leopards is very high, horizontally it's 6 meters, and vertically it's 3 meters. Mostly, they hunt in trees, and due to this, they are protected from predators.
These Leopards have a gestation period of 90 to 105 days and they give birth from 1 to 6 kittens at one time. Cubs are kept hidden for about 8 weeks. Among all the big cats, they have the largest territory.
They are one of the strongest big cats with a weight of 17 to 90 kg and are famous for their ability to ambush predators.
