Barking Zebra Tours
  • Safaris in Africa
  • About Us
  • Kilimanjaro
  • Contact Us
  • Menu Menu
  • herd of elephants roaming in the northern serengeti

What Makes The Big Five The Big Five?

When planning for a Tanzanian safari, you’ll quickly start to learn about “the Big Five.”  The Big Five refers to the African: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and Cape buffalo.  While all of these animals are amazing to view on safari, many may wonder how these animals, and not others, made the Big Five list.  For example, what did the hippos or cheetahs do wrong?

The term “Big Five” was first used by African big game hunters. These hunters did not create the term due to a specific animal’s size or rarity. They used the term because the Big Five were viewed as the five most difficult animals to hunt on foot. But, what difficulties could these animals pose? Well, let’s take a quick look.

The Lion

This should be an easy one.  With knife-like claws and huge powerful jaws, lions could pose a difficulty for even a super-hero on foot.  Lions are also quite stealthy; and, their yellowish-brown coats serve as excellent camouflage when in tall African grass.

african lion showing his teeth

The Leopard

Like the lion, the leopard comes with sharp claws and powerful jaws. But the true difficulty with leopards is that there are so hard to find when on foot. They are stealthy and nocturnal. Leopards are also smart enough to take flight when they sense danger.

leopard drinking water

The Elephant

Elephants are difficult? They look so peaceful though, right?  Well yes, but the elephant is the largest land-mammal on the planet. Elephants are also pretty good at hiding in tall grasses and will charge when they perceive threats. Further, while they can’t run for long distances, elephants can reach speeds of up to 25 mph in small spurts.

two african elephants fighting

The Rhino

A Rhino’s greatest difficulty stems from the fact that the animal is aggressive. Rhinos will definitely charge when threatened. Add to this a rhino’s size and intimidating front horn and you have one difficult animal indeed.

african rhino on safari

The Cape Buffalo

Like rhinos, Cape buffaloes are also aggressive. In addition, they are quite large, possess thick skins, and are known to have a tad bit of a temper. They also come with two very large and thick horns. The complete package makes for one fiery and quite difficult animal for any foot traveler.

cape buffaloes attacking a lion

The Big Five are exhilarating animals to view on safari.  Tanzania is home to all of them. If you are contemplating a visit, please contact us so that we can better introduce you to the five most difficult animals Africa has to offer.

Share this article
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail

You may also like

two zebra on African safari

Do Zebra Really Bark?

01/11/2016
The awakening sound above is the bark of a zebra. Barking Zebra Tours is often asked about this bark. Yes, zebras actually do bark. In fact, they make four very notable sounds.
Read more
https://barkingzebratours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/do-zebra-bark.jpg 400 960 ria https://barkingzebratours.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BZT-logo-2020-grey400-300x300.png ria2016-01-11 15:19:182019-09-17 18:42:32Do Zebra Really Bark?
red oxpecker cleaning giraffe's mouth

Symbiotic Holiday Symbols

12/19/2015
Have you ever seen a rhino in a yoga class? Odds are you haven’t. This is not because the animal doesn’t enjoy a healthy lifestyle, it’s simply because they’re huge and not all that flexible.
Read more
https://barkingzebratours.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/symbiotic-relationship.jpg 400 960 ria https://barkingzebratours.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BZT-logo-2020-grey400-300x300.png ria2015-12-19 21:02:542019-09-17 18:43:24Symbiotic Holiday Symbols
Cape Buffalo on African Safari

What Makes The Big Five The Big Five?

11/21/2015
The term “Big Five” was first used by African big game hunters. These hunters did not create the term due to a specific animal’s size or rarity.
Read more
https://barkingzebratours.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/the-big-five-cape-buffalo.jpg 400 960 ria https://barkingzebratours.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BZT-logo-2020-grey400-300x300.png ria2015-11-21 11:32:592019-09-17 18:09:41What Makes The Big Five The Big Five?
Page 1 of 212

Search by topic

1140 Wall Street #962
La Jolla, California,  92038
(619) 213-9712

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Name
Email
Sign Up

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

© 2023 Copyright by Barking Zebra Adventures, Inc.
  • Privacy Policy
Scroll to top