If you didn’t know the big 5 consists of lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo and you might be wondering how they got grouped together while animals like hippos and wild dogs were left out, well the big five according to hunters were the hardest to hunt, making them the most dangerous in the bush. Anyway the big five can be hard to find at times so you can try look for the ugly 5 and the small 5 instead.
The Ugly Five
This category consists of the hyena, warthog, vulture, wildebeest, and marabou stock. We aren’t sure who came with this list.
Hyena
A hyena’s sloping back and short hind legs make them look unbalanced and their scavenger behaviour also doesn’t help their reputation.
Warthog
We find them very cute but maybe their caked with mud and dirt bodies don’t make for great appearances.
Vultures
The scavenging bird, similar to hyenas they rush in to feed on fresh meat and rotting carcasses when predators aren’t looking.
Wildebeest
The wildebeest resembles the combination of three different animals. It has the head of an ox, the mane of a horse, and horns from a buffalo.
Marabou Stork
This stork is a large, unusual looking bird, it can reaches a height of 1.5 meters with a wingspan of 2.6 meters. Marabous are bald-headed, and have a red-spotted head with long legs.
Also Read: Animals no one told you about here.
The Small Five
This group consists of the ant lion, buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise, rhino beetle and elephant shrew, their names actually somehow relate to the big five.
Ant Lion
It’s neither ant nor a lion but got its name due to the fact that they are predators and mainly feed on ants.
Buffalo Weaver
This small bird gets in name because it’s always seen on top of buffalos picking up the insects on the buffalos bodies. The red-billed buffalo weaver is the only one found in South Africa and its white-billed and white-headed counterparts are found further up Africa.
Leopard Tortoise
Even though they are part of the small five leopard tortoises can grow up to half a meter, making them one of the easiest to spot from this group.
Elephant Shrew
These small insect-eating mammals are usually quite shy and not often seen as they’re well-disguised and they’re very fast. They apparently get their name because of their rather long and flexible noses resembling an elephant’s trunk
Rhino Beetle
The rhino beetle which gets its name from the distinguishing horn-like shape on its head. Both sexes have horns, which makes it difficult to distinguish between them.
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