From The Creators of the Big 5…
There are many wildlife awareness days, and in the past week two of my favorites occurred. World Lion Day and Elephant Awareness Day. These animals are the poster children of charismatic species, but I wanted to highlight the other “5’s” of Africa. So today I will be covering the Big 5 and the Little 5, with maybe a hint of another group of 5…maybe. Let’s go explore Africa’s wildlife diversity!
THE BIG FIVE
African elephant - Loxodonta
Everyone knows our wonderful African elephants. There are two types of African elephants: Bush (L. africanus) and Forest (L. cyclotis). There is a proposed third species, the West African elephant, but there is more data needed for that.
Fun Facts: Their skulls may be why ancient people believed in cyclops,
African lion - Panthera leo
African lions are the second largest cat, just behind Amur tigers.
They are sexually dimorphic, meaning you can tell the genders apart (usually) with males being larger and have manes, where females are slightly smaller (and on rare occurrences have manes). These are the only cats with a poof on the end of their tails.
Fun facts: These are the only social cats. Their roars can be heard up to 5 miles away…I can attest that is accurate. Lastly, male lions are one of the laziest animals on the planet (behind teenage boys) and often sleep 18-20 hours a day, while females do everything else.
Rhinoceros
There are two species of rhinos in Africa, the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) and the black rhino (Diceros bicornus). The easiest way to tell the difference between the two is to look at the lips. White rhinos have very flat, wide lips, where black rhinos have a pointy upper lip. White rhinos are large, have a distinct hump, while black rhinos significantly smaller and adorable (white rhinos are too, but black rhinos…very cute).
Fun fact: The horn of the rhino is not bone, instead it’s made of keratin, the same material as your nails and hair.
African leopard - Panthera pardus pardus
Leopards have the most amazing coloring. They can range from a light yellow to a deep gold, and on occasion, black. They have a clusters of spots called rosettes, and no two leopards have the same spot pattern
Fun facts: Black panthers are not a type/species of cat. They are either melanistic or black leopards or jaguars. The only Black panther in Africa is the ruler of Wakanda (Wakanda forever).
African buffalo - Syncerus caffer
There are 5 subspecies of African buffalo, with the most famous being the Cape buffalo (S. c. caffer). They are large, heavily horned, bosses of the grasslands, and they are known to be very temperamental. They have the nickname “Black Death” because a massive animal that has thick horns and a bad attitude…it’s not a great combo. They are one of the most dangerous animals to run into.
A healthy, adult African buffalo has few predators, but boy they pick fights periodically with an odd array of species. Buffalo have been observed fighting white rhino, hippos, and even young male elephants.
The Little Five: Like the name suggests, these animals are on the smaller side, but have a counter-species on the Big 5
Elephant shrew - Rhynchocyon
These little guys are small insectivores (eats insects) that got their name from the long nose that resembles an elephant trunk. Despite being so small, and having shrew in the name, elephant shrews are more closely related to actual elephants. There are 6 genera of elephant shrews.
Elephant shrew are one of the fastest land animals clocking in around 17.9mph.
They are monogamous.
Antlion - Myrmeleonitdae 2,000+ species
In a larval state, antlions are deadly predators…if you are an ant. They make little conical pits that ants and other small insects fall into. They are pretty easy to find.
When they are adults, antlions can be mistaken as dragonflies, but these insects are nocturnal.
Rhinoceros beetle - Dynastinae 1,500+ species
One of the largest beetle species, reaching up to 6 inches long. They have very distinctive shapes, and “horns” that gave them their name.
When threatened, rhinoceros beetles will often emit an extremely loud, hissing screech by rubbing their wing covers against their body. Imagine a grasshopper on steroids.
Leopard tortoise - Stigmochelys pardalis
These are good-sized, and extremely beautifully patterned tortoises. They roam in grasslands, grazing, and finds a nice abandoned jackal or aardvark holes to rest or escape extreme temperatures. They don’t want to dig unless they have to, like laying eggs.
Their beautiful patterns look like a leopard’s rosettes, which gave them their name. If you look at their scientific name, pardalis comes from the Latin, Pardus, which means leopard
They are the fourth largest species of tortoise in the world weighing in at 44 lbs (though one guy came in at a whopping 88 lbs.
Buffalo weaver - Dinemellie with 1 species and Bubalornis with 2 species of Buffalo weavers
These little birds are the most amazing builders. They create the most wonderful, elaborate nests, and each species has their own take on architectural design.
Buffalo weavers were named after their weaving techniques, but also due to their habit of following African buffalo. Why do they follow the buffalo? Buffalo draw insects, which happens to be a buffalo weaver’s favorite food.
The last group I will only mention (maybe because they are getting their own blog in the future) and I do not agree with the name, but it is the Ugly Five….they aren’t ugly….ok one is slightly unfortunate looking.
Hyenas: Beautiful, smart, and social
Marabou storks: Large and in charge, one of the first animals you see when watching The Lion King, and somebody loves them
Vultures: Disease control, Splendidly regal, and really know how to soar
Warthogs: Smart, appreciates a good mud spa, some of the best struts I’ve ever seen
Wildebeest: Has the cutest noises, so many stamps in their passports, and resilient.
That’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post, and I’ll see you next week!
