Big Five in Serengeti National park

Big Five in Serengeti National park : “The Africa Big Five” wild game is a term used before expeditions to refer to the five most difficult creatures to hunt. Some African hunters referred to these as the most difficult of all the animals to hunt. These five species were traditionally the last hunting trophies, as only these animals would struggle and charge when pursued. Each of the other species will flee but these five not. Even if a 4-ton elephant fighting a bullet gun was still impossible, the largest five beasts would charge and not flee.

During the last few decades, Africa’s big five game were primarily hunted for trophies, and poaching was on the rise in several countries because these animals were highly valued and in high demand. But now, the big five wild game have evolved into the most vulnerable and highly sought-after safari animals that any traveler visiting national parks for game viewing should not miss during their safari visits. And they’ve become one of the most endangered animal species, requiring special protection.

If you’ve always wanted to see Africa’s Big Five up close and personal, head to the Serengeti National Park, which is known for its annual migration of up to 200,000 zebra, 300,000 Thompson’s gazelle, and 1.6 million wildebeest. This country’s oldest park, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to one of the highest diversity of species on the continent and is known for having the highest concentration and population of carnivores such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards. In addition, the park is home to a higher number of wild creatures, including giraffes, elephants, and antelope, as well as up to 500 species of birds, including ostriches, marabou storks, lovebirds, and vultures.

BIG FIVES IN SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

As previously stated, these are the most difficult animals to hunt, and they will sometimes try to charge and hunt you back. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s oldest national park and one of the parks with the world’s largest populations of wildlife, is also home to the magnificent big five animals, which include buffalo, lion, rhinoceros, elephant, and leopard.

1. African leopard

They are one of the Serengeti national park’s big five creatures; don’t confuse them with cheetahs because they look similar but differ in different ways, so you must be careful to distinguish them. The most obvious difference between them is that cheetahs have a black streak that looks like tears from their eyes to their lips, whilst leopards do not.

Leopards are prevalent throughout the Serengeti national park, though they are more difficult to discover because they are shy, elusive, and mostly nocturnal animals. The best area to see them is in dense forests and up in the trees, so don’t forget to look up in the trees on your trip. In the park, there are roughly a thousand of them. The Seronera Valley, on the other hand, is teeming with them, and if you know where to look, you can find them resting in the kigelia or acacia trees.

2. African bush elephants

African bush elephants, sometimes known as the “big five,” are the world’s largest land mammals. They live in herds of up to twenty-four members in the Serengeti national park’s northern areas. According to Tanzania National Parks, the most recent aerial survey of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in 2014 counted 7,535 individuals in the area, up from 3,419 in 2006, indicating that their population is increasing as a result of the park’s conservation efforts. Keep in mind, however, that these animals are more valuable and preferred by poachers due to their tasks. The following are facts about elephants:

• Elephants are the world’s largest land animals, and their ears distinguish them from each other. There are two types of elephants: African and Asian.
• Elephants have roughly 150,000 muscle units in their trunks, which allows them to do amazing feats.
• Their tusks are teeth, not tusks.
• They have thick skin.
• Elephants require up to 150 kilograms of food each day, so they eat excessively and can spend up to three-quarters of their day eating. As a result, they are said to be continually eating.
• They use vibrations to communicate.
• The elephant’s temporal lobe (the memory-related part of the brain) is larger and denser than that of humans, hence the phrase “elephants never forget.”

3. Black rhinoceros

Rhinos used to be found all over Africa, but due to human activities such as poaching and hunting, populations have dropped to the point of extinction. This endangered species may today be found in only a few national parks, and it is protected by severe laws and regulations to safeguard its survival and population increase. They are generally spotted near kopjes in the heart of the Serengeti National Park, though you may not be able to detect them unless you have a park specialist with you who knows their regions. Because of continuous poaching, there are very few black rhinos left, and the eastern black rhino is one of the most endangered subspecies of black rhino.

4. African buffalo

According to the most recent 2014 Serengeti national park inventory report, African buffaloes, also known as Cape buffalo, thrive in healthy numbers, with up to 62,000 animals, and the number has recently increased even more. They are extremely fearful and violent animals, and even the king of the jungle (lions) feels the strain and is unable to hunt them maybe if they are in a group of more than one lion. The African buffalo, especially when injured, is considered one of Africa’s most dangerous animals, especially when in a larger herd. They can also be seen in large numbers in other Tanzanian national parks, such as the Ngorongoro conservation area, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire national park.

5. Lions

Also known as the king of the jungle or the king of the African savannah, there are numerous reasons why they are named and recognized as the king of the jungle, one of which is their confidence in the fact that they are not afraid of anything and the way they move (they walk confidently while their chest and eyes are up front for a hundred meters, just like a military solder). Seeing a pride of lions in their natural habitat is an unforgettable experience, and the Serengeti national park is home to some of the world’s largest lion prides, which are quite easy to find. Lions live in prides because they’re very social animals, and in a group, the females hunt more than the males. Fun, interesting facts about lions

• Lions live in prides of up to 40 members and are very gregarious animals. Most young males leave the pride in small groups (coalitions) to form their own, whereas each female tends to stay in her birth pride.
• The roar of a lion can be heard from 5 miles (or 8 kilometers) away. Male lions use their roar to frighten off other males and alert their pride members of impending danger.
• A male lion weighs 180 kilograms, whereas a female lion weighs 130 kilograms. This is between 40 and 50 times the weight of a typical cat.
• When a male lion takes over a pride, he can kill all the lion cubs in order to reawaken the pride’s females.
• When young male lions attain sexual maturity, around the age of two, older males push them out of the pride.

INTERESTING & FUN FACTS ABOUT BIG FIVES

• The main predator of buffalo is the lion. Buffalo will attempt to resuscitate a captured member. They’ve been seen slaughtering a lion after it killed one of the group’s members.
• Leopards have a natural ability to climb trees. To keep lions and hyenas from snatching their kill, they’ll often hide it under a tree. They can also swim well and eat fish and crabs on occasion.
• Elephants are considered as the ket stone species and most important animals ecologically, they do pruning long trees and shrubs and other shorter animals get benefits from them.
• African elephants communicate across long distances using a low frequency that humans cannot hear.
• Rhinos have poor vision and may inadvertently attack trees and rocks. Their hearing and sense of smell, on the other hand, are excellent, often compensating for their low vision.
• The rhinoceros is the Big Five’s most endangered species. Poaching of rhinos reached a 15-year high in 2009. The illegal trade is fueled by Asian demand for rhino horns, which is being exacerbated by increasingly skilled poachers who are killing rhinos with veterinary medications, poison, crossbows, and high-caliber guns. Outside of national parks and reserves, only a few rhinos are left.
• A lion’s mane usually gets darker as he gets older.
• The leopard is nocturnal, solitary, and secretive during the day, preferring to remain hidden. Of the Big Five, they are the least well-known.
• Many plant species have evolved seeds that must pass through the digestive tract of an elephant in order to germinate. Elephants are responsible for the spread of at least one-third of tree species in West African woodlands.
• White rhinos are slate gray to golden brown in color rather than white. The name comes from the Dutch word “weit,” which means “broad,” and refers to the animal’s wide muzzle.