![Black rhino and calf standing in grassland in Kenya](https://images.followalice.com/2qGLJ5cr8KRfkWW31TN8I4/63d73e880355dbb7df3e17d2a2b32405/Black_rhino_and_calf.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=1200&h=1200)
Mind-blowing facts about the Big Five of Africa
The Big Five – which is lions, leopards, rhinos, buffaloes and elephants – is a major drawcard among safari goers. We tell you how this term came about, where in Africa you can find the Big Five, and some fascinating details about each of the animals.
Which of the animals will take on a lion? Why is the hefty hippo not counted among the Big Five? Which is the hardest of the animals to spot in the wild?
![Yawning lion, one of the Big Five](https://images.followalice.com/3TV5oXV226mLIW3nI6TwrH/8d2e22fa0c3be42f84a7ae823475ac43/Close-up-of-yawning-lion-1024x683.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=534)
What are the Big Five?
African lion African bush elephant Black rhino African leopard Cape buffalo
![Mother and calf elephants](https://images.followalice.com/4RfkiJo2VZ1yIQnuhrKSUI/839a7f08ad817b77dbc0c5de3a2fb011/Mother-and-calf-elephants-1-1024x684.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=534)
Why are they called the Big Five?
Where are the Big Five found?
What countries have the Big Five?
![African leopard walking around a tree](https://images.followalice.com/dVmETH11bXVXMIIcCQrAc/b42c60a7352e1a63397496e30e8f74d2/African-leopard-walking-around-tree-trunk-1024x685.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=535)
The best Big Five safari destinations
![Herd of Cape buffalo (Big Five) in plains with safari car and God rays](https://images.followalice.com/2TFBWjgkoY6DsCyUyHza8t/c982613320d85357566dceab8d8d4816/Cape-buffalo-herd-1024x615.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=480)
So let’s look at the Big Five ...
1. Lions
![Lion](https://images.followalice.com/2t2dsHz25p4EOylvcX7VqW/e3a8a84da3b27453f08be2543ec3bff2/Male-lion-1024x683.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=534)
5 facts you didn't know about the lion
Lions are happy to scavenge for food, often stealing what's been killed by hyenas, wild dogs, cheetahs or leopards. They can survive for four or five days without water by absorbing the moisture in the stomachs of prey. Lionesses hunt in a semicircle, with the weaker ones on the flanks bringing the prey into the centre for the stronger ones to take down. The mane of the male lion helps to protect its neck during fights. A lion's roar can be heard from up to 8 km away. They roar to locate other members of the pride.
![Lioness and two cubs on grass](https://images.followalice.com/277LIsCZQNJvyDoPfC99LE/58731a0451c301a0f94aba201bee7eb5/Lioness-and-cubs-1024x682.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=533)
Does the lion have any predators?
![Lions with illuminated eyes at night](https://images.followalice.com/24ss3Vf4INx1W64FVBIqqX/551da0ac3a7f3a492e71043c3cfb9680/Lions-at-night-1024x707.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=552)
Do all lions climb trees?
![Lioness sleeping on a tree branch](https://images.followalice.com/2EsMMfnsy5M00a75MMFSmo/7f59692fa7dd129afe49173df0359c36/Lionness-sleeping-in-a-tree-in-Ishasha-Queen-Elizabeth-NP-1024x687.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=537)
Where is the best place to see lions?
![Lionesses walking in the grass, Big Five](https://images.followalice.com/5nr2DgRxOeOSjCmrbtOCen/0b782b4cedbccc6d51e62b6bf195bd83/Lionesses-1024x683.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=534)
2. Elephants
Elephants are believed to be as smart as chimps and dolphins.
![Elephant calf in dry scrubland](https://images.followalice.com/530827KOxnGVaF6PwcsasT/846b1285ad231e0b3767f2e1c2112f3d/safari-elephants-1024x682.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=533)
Fun facts about African bush elephants
The African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ) is the largest and heaviest land animal. You probably already knew that. It's larger than both the forest and Asian elephants. Their tusks start growing when they’re one to three years old, and never stop. They can live for 60 to 70 years in the wild. Adults eat about 230 kg (500 lb) of vegetation a day. Elephants are herbivores through and through. Adults other than the parents also help to look after calves. The herds are often led by matriarchs, who have wickedly good memories, which helps them to know who’s a friend and who’s an enemy. Baby elephants are the cutest. Yes, fact.
![Elephant in grass with birds on its back, Big Five](https://images.followalice.com/7zpZ1lS15pL3CGTYSFH7Uc/3d0194c92210d669729e04d87bc61d27/Elephants-and-birds-in-Murchison-National-Park-Uganda-1024x681.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=532)
Where is the best place to see elephants?
Did you know?
![An elephant walking in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater](https://images.followalice.com/2KwQVvZQ3RpbjhKRz4lHLH/e23897dd95535db0886f871da9c911e7/elephant-ngorongoro-crater-1024x682.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=533)
3. Rhino
Interesting rhino facts
Rhinos have pretty poor eyesight, but their hearing and sense of smell are excellent. Their horns are made of thousands of compressed strands of keratin (similar to human fingernails). It's very hardy, but can be split during fights. Rhinos literally scream if they're scared.
![White rhinos eating grass, Big Five](https://images.followalice.com/4Yekn4q7Ttu090Pi9LPvCc/ce4334c4debdf2f91a50c87309ccbd6f/Rhino-in-Uganda-1024x680.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=531)
White rhinos vs black rhinos
Did you know that the black and white rhino are actually the same colour of grey??
![white vs black rhino](https://images.followalice.com/3sf1oKPF0Bbn9ubnPK3wht/16c3f6489925b170fc9d2757c487b18c/White-vs-black-rhino.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=471)
White rhinos are the bigger animal by far: adult males weigh 1,800 to 2,500 kg, while adult male black rhinos only weigh up to 1,350 kg. Black rhinos have two long horns, while white rhinos have a long horn and a shorter one.
![Black rhino in profile with bird on back](https://images.followalice.com/1GUktSxWqY0G8cz9j8Z9fm/23094bc04bba1daa6c756c4f96b28ac2/rhino-in-serengeti-1024x689.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=538)
Black rhinos are more dangerous
Fun fact: baby black rhinos always run behind their mothers, while baby white rhinos run in front of their mothers!
![Black rhino calf, one of the Big Five](https://images.followalice.com/PRjnHNQZWINXXRwWdEGYD/f3d5532fd8fda3014581d38ed8121dea/Black-rhino-claf-Kenya-1024x713.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=557)
Is the rhino endangered?
![young white rhino and blue birds](https://images.followalice.com/17YphjdwUwZUV5TN0jOyCF/ad5d8f198a8fdd89255376f6b21e6d13/young-rhino-and-blue-birds-1024x686.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=536)
Where are the best places to see rhinos?
Countries where you can see black and white rhinos
Botswana Kenya Namibia South Africa Swaziland Zambia Zimbabwe
Malawi Tanzania
Uganda
![Two rhinos (Big Five) in lush grass in Uganda](https://images.followalice.com/63LiKql5g5ioQz58MuNMO1/e29af6c5922f57156404831472811c37/Rhinos-in-lush-grass-Uganda-1024x682.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=533)
4. Leopard
![Leopard (Big Five) seen from the side](https://images.followalice.com/6sSqVZKvTiLOsfNiQql5iF/dc78256238d32ffc9363a0ed15155703/African-leopard-from-the-side-1-1024x697.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=545)
5 things you didn't know about the leopard
Leopards can see seven times better at night than humans. 👀 Nighttime is when they go hunting. A group of leopards is called a leap of leopards. So poetic! The tail of a leopard is almost as long as its body. They can carry up to three times their own weight. The reason they drag their prey up into trees is to keep hyenas and lions from trying to steal it.
It's incredibly rare, but every now and then a black African leopard is born. The spots are still there, but excessive melanin makes the fur black.
![African-leopard-rolling-on-ground-1024x685.jpg](https://images.followalice.com/33LWexwnBsxeaJ4TQpTBqm/ed0308d87f52a0c70be868611072620d/African-leopard-rolling-on-ground-1024x685.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=535)
Where are the best places to see leopards in the wild?
![African leopard walking at night](https://images.followalice.com/6AirAZ3vVSNB3cRGjyRpDW/afb307e4fe416ce6a37b238db5e05337/African-leopard-at-night-1-1024x704.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=550)
5. Cape buffalo
The Cape buffalo is considered the most dangerous of the Big Five game by hunters.
![two Cape buffaloes](https://images.followalice.com/7tT9jXXKB2slYQm0Pr1EC5/0e9234b663ec176c8ad9cba24ae78f69/close-up-of-cape-buffalo-1024x682.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=533)
Why are there often birds on the backs of buffaloes?
![Cape buffalo (Big Five) with madenhacker birds on its back](https://images.followalice.com/5RWzfyEYwm5XgVcBbPxIrm/1ede8e08fc4fdbe04fb80da0206bcd26/Cape-buffalo-with-birds-on-its-back-1-1024x681.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=532)
Other fun facts about Cape buffaloes
The Cape buffalo is four times stronger than an ox! Cape buffaloes are so fierce that they occasionally kill lions when feeling threatened. Male buffaloes are around 100 kg heavier on average than females, and can grow to 800 kg. The Cape buffalo is the only species of the cattle and buffalo family ( Bovinae ) to naturally occur in Africa. Their hide can be two inches thick in places. A calf can stand within 10 minutes of being born.
![Cape buffalo and oxpecker](https://images.followalice.com/O75V5zPjTtlqnWcJgYpkX/ad40b272edbcbe0f17301106b7c884bb/Cape-buffalo-and-oxpecker-1-1024x683.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=534)
Where's the best place to see Cape buffaloes?
![Herd of Cape buffaloes in the sunset, Big Five](https://images.followalice.com/cWR1kRqiU3EJSjKyD556m/6301887141ffbf48ffd55a242869c057/Tarangire-National-Park-Cape-buffaloes-1024x683.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=534)
Other popular animals to see on safari
Honey badgers, servals and aardvarks are among the rarest animals to spot on safari.
![Yawning cheetah sitting in grass](https://images.followalice.com/5dgwnM6nx9owtijId9BNzB/03ad3c11c785b078888b9c4f6a663401/Yawning-cheetah-sitting-in-grass-1024x683.jpg?q=80&fit=fill&f=center&w=800&h=534)