Experience the thrill of a Southern African safari as you encounter the iconic Big Five, elusive predators, and diverse wildlife. From majestic elephants to rare wild dogs, explore articles on the incredible animals you can see in game reserves and national parks. Discover fascinating facts to make your safari interesting.
South Africa's Big 5 was originally a hunting term and refers to the five most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt down on foot
Big game hunters coined the term which is now a marketing term used by safari tour operators and indicates that the game reserve is large enough to maintain these amazing animals and offer an authentic safari experience.
Elephants reign as the largest land mammals on Earth, boasting massive bodies, distinctive large ears, and long, versatile trunks. Their trunks serve a multitude of purposes, from picking up objects and trumpeting warnings to greeting other elephants and sipping water for drinking or bathing
Unbeknownst to them, leopards are often number one on a safari-goer’s “want to see” list. As the most elusive of the Big 5, they are the drawcard of a safari experience.
There are private game reserves where these big cats have been habituated to the presence of safari vehicles for generations and, as a result, their day-to-day lives have been opened for observation and for us to enjoy.
Meercats are always special to see on safari. Though they are one of the smaller mongooses, what meercats lack in size, suricates make up for in attitude and powerful curiosity. They have a phenomenal sense of smell, and their front paws are highly adapted for digging and foraging. A generalisation in nature is that the more social animals in a particular group are, the higher the intelligence (as we understand it).
Now as we know, there is always a chance of seeing various animals while on a game drive no matter what. I have however found that, depending on the imminent weather conditions, the likelihood of seeing some species of game is higher (or lower) than others.
But what makes them special is that they are considered the most difficult game animals to find
They are all one of the top sightings when you are out on a game drive even if you want to see the Big 5 these seven animals are very special animals to see...
Africa's largest crocodilian can reach a maximum size of about 20 feet and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds. Average sizes, though, are more in the range of 16 feet and 500 pounds. Nile Crocodiles are thought to live between 70 – 100 years.
The diet of the Nile crocodile is mainly fish, but it will attack almost anything unfortunate enough to cross its path. It doesn't matter if the animal is small or large, they want food that's still wiggling. They're the ultimate carnivores.
The blue wildebeest is a member of the antelope family, although its heavy build and disproportionately large forequarters make it look more bovine.
The migration is considered one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth, involving up to 1.5 million wildebeests as well as hundreds of thousands of other animals, including zebra and gazelle.
Many people know them for their iconic stripes and the never ending riddle about them being black with white stripes, or white with black stripes. A group of zebras is called a 'dazzle'.
The Zebra with its beautiful individual stripe pattern belongs to the horse family and they are pure herbivores. The purpose of the special fur colouring of the Zebra has so far not been unequivocally clarified. The black and white stripe colouring is only partially suitable as a camouflage colour. [...]
Although its size makes it fearsome looking, the hippo is often one of the most underrated animals in Africa in terms of its fearless and potentially bad-tempered nature. Hippos are not known for their sunny dispositions, causing more human deaths in Africa annually than lions, leopards, crocodiles, or any other of the major predators.Although they are clumsy on land and cannot jump or navigate over obstacles, they can reach speeds of up to 36 km/hour if provoked.
The honey badger is a relatively small animal averaging about 25 pounds, with large males occasionally reaching 35 pounds. They are long-bodied with short, powerful legs, standing about 12 inches at the shoulder. But dinamite comes in small packages!
Honey badgers are not only able to accept stings from bees, but can also handle bites from the world’s deadliest snakes, like puff adders, mambas and cobras, which they happily hunt, kill and devour. Up to 25% of their diet is snake.
“Oh, a giraffe” is a common response when they are spotted on a game drive. “Lovely eyelashes.” And there the conversation often ends but there is a lot more ...
The name ‘giraffe’ supposedly comes from the Arabic word ‘zarafah’, which means to ‘walk swiftly’. The species name camelopardalis is derived from ancient Greek and refers to a combination of camel and leopard (i.e. a camel with leopard-like spots).
Dung Beetles are unique insects that play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Even their name is very fitting as their life revolves around dung – they literally can’t live without it!
For the whole of winter they have been in a state of torpor waiting for the heat of summer and the first rains to arrive, then bush has started buzzing with the wing beats of these flying decomposers.
The Serengeti is one of the most famous parks in Africa and is synonymous with wildlife and classic African scenery. It is Tanzania’s oldest park and a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is home to the spectacular wildebeest migration and offers top-class wildlife viewing throughout the year.
This annual event is arguably one of the greatest safari spectacles on earth. Although this journey follows a similar annual route, exact timing varies based on rainfall.
World Pangolin Day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these unique mammals — and their plight.
The shy, harmless pangolin is becoming increasingly well known for one reason: It’s believed to be the world’s most trafficked non-human mammal. Tens of thousands of pangolins are poached every year.
The demand for pangolins comes mostly from China, where pangolin scales are unfortunately believed to be a cure-all of sorts.