African Leopard

The African leopard (Panthera pardus) is more numerous than the African rhino in the Big 5 pantheon, but they are just as difficult to spot on safari in Africa. Leopards use trees as observation platforms and for protection, so you have to remember to look up to see this solitary, beautiful cat. Leopards are shy and nocturnal, quite modest for a cat that can climb, swim and live in a wider range of habitats than most other wild cats.

 

A leopard's spots offer excellent camouflage as they move about their range, seldom staying in the same area for more than a few days. Males tend to have larger ranges than females and mark it by urinating and leaving claw marks. Leopards tend to store their fresh kill up in a tree to avoid it getting poached by lions and hyenas. Leopards are smaller than lions but an adult male can still weigh in at 200 lbs. They can run at speeds of over 35 mph, and are extremely agile jumpers.
 
Leopards live throughout sub-Saharan Africa, they cover a wide range of habitats from the thick forests of West Africa to the highlands of Ethiopia, but they prefer thick bush and riverine forests. A leopards' only predator is man. Man has succeeded in getting this magnificent cat on the IUCN's "near threatened" list by reducing the leopards' habitat, depleting its prey and hunting it.
 
 

 
Fun Leopard Facts

• Leopards can kill prey larger than themselves
• Leopards purr
• Leopards are excellent swimmers
• A leopard's spots are in fact irregular circles called "rosettes"
• A leopard stalks and pounces its prey, rather than chase it long distances
• A leopard with no spots and a black coat is called a panther
• A leopard cub begins to hunt with its mother at around 4-5 months old
• The leopards' spots are circular in East African but square in southern Africa
• Leopards can jump 10 feet (3 m) straight up
• White spots on the tip of their tails and back of their ears help leopards locate and communicate with each other in tall grass

African Rhino

 

The rhinoceros is on of the iconic African animals. Though rarer, in some cases than the other Big Five, the rhinoceros is nevertheless well-known and loved by many. Like the elephant, the rhinoceros is a large animal that, despite its aggressive tendencies, seems have an air of calm contemplation about it.

There are two main species of rhinoceros that make Africa their home. The white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) and the black rhinoceros(Diceros bicornis) are two very different species though there are some similarities between the two. Ironically the names are of no real use in differentiating the two species, but there are characteristics that can be easily spotted if you know what to look for.

Both the white and the black rhinoceros have two horns on the front of their heads. These horns are made from keratin and are not hollow. Their horns are used for digging, marking their territory and defending themselves. These horns never stop growing throughout their lives and, barring accidents, can reach incredible lengths.

While they may be large and imposing creatures, white and black rhinoceroses suffer from terrible eyesight. They rely on their sense of hearing and smell to get around. Their ears are capable of turning towards the source of a sound and function like small satellites in picking up sound. Their sense of smell is by far their most powerful sense. The olfactory centre is larger than the rest of their brain allowing them to have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell. It is their sense of smell that can make hunting this animal a difficult task.

Both species live on the African continent in the sub-Saharan area. The white rhinoceros is more common in the southern reaches of the continent while the black rhinoceros is more often seen in the north eastern parts of the continent.

The white rhinoceros is the larger of the two species. Standing about 1.5 meters to 2 metres tall and up to 4 metres long, this behemoth can weigh up to 3 000 kilograms! They have a wide lip that is specially evolved for their grazing diet. White rhinoceroses also have a characteristic hump on their back that helps to support the weight of their head.

White rhinoceroses can live in groups, called a crash, of up to about 15 animals. Females and young tend to group together while the males remain solitary creatures that only seek out others when they want to mate. Since they have no natural predators, they can often live for up to 50 years – barring incident.

The black rhinoceros is smaller than the white and only reaches about 1.6 metres in height at the shoulder, reaches lengths of about 3.6 metres and can weigh up to about 1 400 kilograms. That is still large animal! Their lips are thinner and are designed to strip the foliage from plants instead of eating grass. In some specimens, a third horn can sometimes be seen growing behind the primary horns. The black rhinoceros does not have a hump.

Black rhinoceroses, unlike the white, are solitary creatures with the only groups being a mother and her calf. They only seek out others of their kind to mate though females have been known to band together for short times. The black rhinoceros is also more aggressive than the white rhinoceros with a tendency to attack anything it perceives as a threat, like an aggressive texas hold em player wanting the upperhand throughout the battle. Due to its poor eyesight (even poorer than the white's), these rhinoceroses have been seen attacking trees and other harmless objects.

The rhinoceros is one of the last megafauna still alive on the planet along with the elephant. The white rhinoceros is not considered to be in any danger at the moment though some of the sub-species are on the endangered list. The black rhinoceros is endangered and there are very few of them, only a couple thousand, still running free in the wild. The main reasons for the decline is poaching for their horns and the encroachment of humanity on their habitats.

Conservation efforts have proven, so far, to be successful in many cases. It seems that, for the time being, these giants of the savannah will continue to roam.

 

There are lots of fun facts about the white rhinoceros. Did you know that?

• The white rhinoceros, Ceratotherium simum, is one of five species of rhinoceros. Its square-lipped mouth, large size and large hump, but not color, distinguish it from other rhino species. The white rhino's hide is gray not white.
• White rhinos live in grassland savannahs and woodland habitats. They are found in six African countries, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The white rhinoceros is the second largest land mammal. It measures 4.2 m (13.75 feet) in length, stands 185 cm (73 inches) tall, and can weigh as much as 3,600 kg (7,920 pounds).
• White rhinos are grazers meaning they eat grasses. They drink daily and can survive only a few days without water.
• The white rhinoceros is gregarious. It lives, feeds and moves in a crash or herd up to 14 animals in size. The crash includes cows and calves. Adult bulls are solitary animals and only join a crash during the mating season called the rut.
• White rhinos are the most social of all rhino species. They are curious beasts that retreat from conflict. When alarmed, white rhinos form a circle with their behinds in the center.
• The southern white rhinoceros, near extinct 100 years ago, is today the most common species of rhino. The same can't be said for the northern white rhinoceros. There are just 4 of these animals in the wild.

African Elephant

The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest mammal in the world and remarkably adaptable. Elephants live in woodlands, forests, deserts and savanna, spread across 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The demand for ivory led to a dramatic decrease in elephant numbers, especially during the 1970's and 1980's. A ban on all ivory trade has helped stabilize the population to around 600,000 in the last decade. But poaching is still a major issue, especially in parts of Africa where there is political instability. The African elephant is listed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN Redlist of threatened species.

Elephants are quite peaceful if left alone, but if they feel threatened - watch out. There's nothing quite like being charged at by 12,000 lb's of animal, flapping its ears and trumpeting loudly. Elephants can be over 14 feet tall and 30 feet wide. They drink 30-50 gallons of water every day and are vegetarians. They eat grass, leaves, twigs, bark, fruit and seed pods. Adult elephants consume up to 375 lbs of vegetation every day. This causes significant destruction if their habitat range is limited. You can easily tell where a family of elephants have been by the number of destroyed trees they leave in their wake.
 
Elephants are very social animals, they communicate using a variety of low frequency grumbles and rumbles which can be picked up 6 miles away. They live in family groups of up to 100 members, headed by a matriarch. Elephants are social and affectionate animals. Elephant mothers are very attentive to their babies, orphans are nursed by other mothers in the group. A young elephant is weaned at 4-5 years old, when their tusks start to get in the way, they may move out of the family group at 10-12 years old.
 
 

 
Fun Facts About The African Elephant

• An elephant's trunk is the fusion of its upper lip and nose, it has more than 40,000 muscles
• An elephant calf often sucks its trunk for comfort
• Elephants prefer one tusk over the other, just as people are either left or right-handed
• Elephants use their trunk as a snorkel when swimming
• Elephants waive their trunks up in the air and from side to side to smell better
• An elephants' skin is an inch thick
• Elephants flap their ears to keep cool
• Elephants spend up to 16-18 hours per day eating
• Elephants' tusks grow throughout their lives
• Elephants use their feet to listen. They pick up sub-sonic rumblings made by other elephants through vibrations in the ground.

African Buffalo

Cape Buffalo are commonly found in protected wildlife areas (that have plenty of water), throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Four sub-species of African Buffalo have been recognized and basically reflect the different type of regions and habitats they live in: Forest Buffalo,  West African Savanna Buffalo, Central African Savanna Buffalo and Southern Savanna Buffalo. The forest buffalo are smaller than those found in the savanna.

Cape buffalo are large, adults stand 4-6 feet tall and males weigh in at around 700 kg's (1500 lb's). Even lions don't dare take a chunk out of this beast unless they have friends helping them.  Cape Buffalo are said to have killed more big game hunters than any other animal in Africa and are one of Africa's most dangerous animals. Needless to say, the Cape buffalo has never been domesticated, but if left alone they are quite placid, just like their bovine brethren.

On the more open grasslands, Cape buffalo appear in large herds that can number up to a thousand individuals. Remarkably, there are few scuffles between herd members, perhaps the large males with their strong curved horns realize they could seriously injure one another in a brawl. Males will fight for dominance, but the battles are brief.

Cape Buffalo need to drink every day, so are often found close to water and never in the desert. They prefer to eat tall, coarse grass as well as bushes. Cape buffalo numbers are shrinking because they are hunted for their meat, and they have also been the victims of various domestic cattle diseases. There are thought to be around 1 million Cape buffalo left in Africa.
 
Fun Facts About the Cape Buffalo

• Buffalo will protect their calves by pushing them into the middle of the herd when danger lurks
• Buffalo will mob a predator, especially if there's a calf calling for help
• Buffalo mate and give birth during the rainy season only
• Cape Buffalo have never been domesticated
• M'bogo is the (Ki)Swahili word for Cape Buffalo.
• The ox-pecker bird keeps the Cape Buffalo clean by eating all the parasites that live in its thick hide
• The Cape Buffalo can run at speeds of 35 mph

African Lion

 

African Lion » Panthera Leo » ‘Leeu’

The magnificent African lion is the largest of Africa's big cats and is primarily active at night, sleeping away most of the day to escape the intense heat. If you're on safari then the best chance of spotting lions on the prowl and perhaps on the hunt is an early morning or evening game drive when they are active.

During the day they can also easily be seen loafing about under shade trees. Mostly ground dwelling, they sometimes climb trees to get away from marauding flies and catch the cool breezes.

Lions are highly social creatures that hunt cooperatively and form cohesive groups called prides, which is unusual for cats. The pride consists of two groups, one of four to 12 related females and their cubs, and a group of one to 6 males known as a coalition who mate with the adult females. The lionesses are the most close-knit and central part of the pride while the lions may be substituted every few years. Prides largely consist of about a dozen adults but are smaller in places like the Kalahari, and larger where prey is abundant. The pride may split up into smaller groups roaming freely for a few days or a couple of weeks. Where game is plentiful prides are fiercely territorial but if prey is scant then their pride lands are far too large to defend.

 

Lions and lionesses announce occupation of their territory with strong smelling urine, faeces and lots of roaring. Audible for 10 km, the impressive roars of lions during the night is the quintessential sound of the African bushveld. If their prey source is migratory then they follow the roving herds and are less territorial. Should they encounter lion from other prides then interactions are hostile and wary but seldom end up in a fight. Lions that aren’t part of a pride are nomadic, roaming extensively, either singly or in pairs.

Lionesses are more agile and faster than males and do most of the hunting. Males are much bigger and defend the pride and territory, ranking first in line to feed and grab the “lion’s share” of the kill. Next to dine are the lionesses and lastly the cubs with much scuffling, hissing and cuffing. By contrast lions at rest are blissfully peaceful and sprawl all over each other with lots of affectionate nuzzling, purring and licking.

 

 

 

Male lions weigh between 150-225 kg and females range from 120-150 kg with a lifespan between 10-14 years. Males reach maturity at 3 years and peak at 4-5 years when they are ready to take over a pride. From the age of 8 years a male may lose dominance and be ousted from the pride by a younger male. This gives him little time to procreate  - so he usually kills all the previous alpha male's cubs that are less two years old. This results in the lionesses becoming fertile and receptive.

Lion mating behaviour is legendary with a couple frequently copulating (up to forty times a day!) and over several days. Occasionally the female may mate with other males in the pride resulting in cubs of the same litter having different fathers. The lioness’s gestation is between 100-120 days, and a litter ranges between 1-6 cubs. Pride females usually coordinate their reproductive cycles and collaborate in the raising and suckling of the cubs. Lion cubs are weaned at 6 months. Their mortality rate is high with only 20% of cubs reaching the age of two years.

 

South African Lion Subspecies:
South African lions usually belong to the subspecies Panthera leo krugeri - Kruger National Park lion. In parts of the Northern Cape, Namibia and Botswana, male lions have spectacular black manes, belonging to the subspecies Panthera leo verneyi - Kalahari lion.
Panthera leo melanochaitus, the black-maned Cape Lion, became extinct in 1860. The Cape Lion once roamed around Cape Town and the Cape Province, the last one to be seen in the Cape was shot in 1858.
White lions:
Rare 'white lions' are born almost pure white without the usual camouflaging spots seen in lion cubs. Their unusual colour is due to a recessive gene that reduces pigmentation. As cubs mature their white coats progressively darken to ivory or blonde. A white lion is less camouflaged than the regular lion and has a disadvantage when it comes to hunting.

 

 

•  Status: Their population is diminishing and has been given vulnerable status on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
•  When you’re most likely to spot lion: Lion are mostly nocturnal and start hunting from early evening when it cools down until early morning. They can often be seen lounging or snoozing under a shade tree during the heat of the day.
•  Where lions roam: At one time they ranged widely in a variety of habitats from desert fringes to open savanna and woodlands. They now occur only in game reserves and National Parks in southern Africa.
• Reproduction: Lionesses usually have litters of up to six cubs and give birth under cover, keeping cubs hidden and returning to the pride when cubs are one or two months old and only if there are no cubs older than 3 months already present. Lion cubs suckle from different mothers and older cubs would prevent the younger cubs from suckling. Cubs stay with their mothers for at least two years.