Big five animals are the Lion, Buffalo, Rhino, Leopard and Elephant:
“They got the name Big Five animals due to the difficulty in hunting the dangerous; lion, buffalo, rhino, leopard, and elephant.“
They are among the most sort out wildlife in Zambia, by tourists.
Very large herds (often over 400 strong) in Kafue & South Luangwa National Parks, sizeable herds elsewhere.
These are large cow-like, big five, ungulates with adults weighing an average of 400kg, and large bulls weighing up to 1000kg. They have massive horns that can reach 1 meter (3.3 ft) in length and can grow up to 1.7 meters (5.6 ft) at the shoulder. They are reputed to be extremely dangerous, especially when wounded, charging at the smallest provocation.
| PARK/ RESERVE | SIGHTINGS |
|---|---|
| Kafue National Park | Very Common |
| Lower Zambezi National Park | Common |
| South Luangwa National Park | Common |
Large herds in Kafue, Luangwa, Lower Zambezi National Parks.
It is the largest of the big five animals and the largest land animal. It can grow up to 4 meters (13.1 ft) at the shoulder. The largest bulls can weigh 6350 kg (13,999.4 lb). Most elephants live in older matriarch led herds, with older males living in either smaller bachelor herds or alone.
found in Kafue, Luangwa and Lower Zambezi National Parks
Lower Zambezi leopard stalking
It gets as close as possible to its prey before it makes a sudden and explosive charge.
The strongest climber of the large cats, pound for pound and are the fifth largest cat species in the world. Males can weigh up to 90 kg (198 lb) and stand 70 cm (28 in) at the shoulder. They are able to kill prey larger than their own size and carry it up a tree. They are solitary, and among of the large carnivores, the most secretive and elusive.
Found in Kafue, Luangwa and Lower Zambezi National Parks
The king of the savanna is the largest cat and carnivore in Africa. It is second only to the tiger in the cat family and larger males can weigh up to 220 Kg (485 lbs) and females up to 166 Kg (366 lbs ). The faster and more agile females can reach speeds of 81 km/h (50 mph), over short distances and can leap as far as 11 metres (36 feet) from their hiding place.
Unlike other cats, they live in social groups of one to three males and four to six females, on average. This helps them hunt large prey like wildebeest, zebra and the massive buffalo.
Found in North Luangwa National Park
This is a Critically Endangered subspecies of the black rhinoceros and therefore also has a prehensile lip (browser). They can weigh up to 1000 kg (2204.6 lb) and stand 1.6m (5.3 ft) at the shoulder. They are generally solitary, territorial and can be very aggressive when disturbed. They have poor eyesight but an acute sense of smell and hearing.
Black rhino
White rhino
Found in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
Unlike the Black rhino, it has a square wide lip as it is a grazer. White comes from Afrikaans “weid” meaning “wide” in English. Males can weigh up to 2,300 kg (5,070 lb) and Females weigh 1,700 kg (3,750 lb), with a shoulder height of 186 cm (6.1 ft). It is a Threatened Species.
All rhinos are grey! Just different shades of grey.