Introducinin the Big Five
Transcript of Introducinin the Big Five
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Introducing The "Big Five"
When you start researching an African safari, the term "Big Five" often crops up. The "Big 5" refers to
the African: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo. Why not the hippo, gorilla or giraffe you
may ask? Are they not large as well? How about the cheetah -- that would be an animal you would
probably like to see as much as a buffalo. Well, the term "big five" was actually coined by big game
hunters (not safari tour operators). It refers to the difficulty in bagging these large animals, mostly
due to their ferocity when cornered and shot at.
Safari tour operators simply took the phrase "big 5" and turned it into a marketing term. A shame
really since I've been on more than one safari where guides have sped past a giraffe en route to
buffalo, simply because it was assumed I'd like to see the "big five" over anything else. A poll I
conducted shows that I am not alone in finding a giraffe infinitely more exciting to spot than a Cape
buffalo.
Click through for information, facts and photos about the "Big 5"
The African Elephant
The African Rhino
The African Leopard
The African Lion
The Cape Buffalo
What About the "Little Five"?
The "Little Five" is just a fun idea, not based on anything beyond the fact that there are five little
animals found in Africa, with names corresponding to the "Big Five". The Little Five are: Rhinoceros
Beetle, Buffalo Weaver, Elephant Shrew, Leopard Tortoise, and the Ant Lion
Click here for more information, photos and facts about the "Little Five".
What's the "Big Seven"?
You may also come across the term "big seven", South African Tour operators coined this phrase, it's
just another clever safari marketing term. Nevertheless it does prove the fact that South Africa has
an incredible diversity of wildlife as the "Big 7" includes the Great White shark and the Southern
Right Whale.
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Previous
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African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
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African Lion (Panthera leo)
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African Leopard (Panthera pardus)
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African Rhino (Diceros bicornis & Ceratotherium simum)
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Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
Next
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