The Big Five

The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris.

The African Elephant - Loxodonta africa
A very large herbivore having thick, almost hairless skin, a long, flexible, prehensile trunk, upper incisors forming long curved tusks of ivory, and large, fan-shaped ears.

Black Rhinoceros - Diceros bicornis
A large, thick-skinned herbivore having one or two upright horns on the nasal bridge. Rhinoceros may refer to both Black Rhinoceros and White rhinoceros.

Cape Buffalo - Syncerus caffer
A large horned bovid. Buffalo are sometimes reported to kill more people in Africa than any other animal, although the same claim is also made of hippos and crocodiles.[6] It is considered the most dangerous of the Big Five.

Lion - Panthera leo
A large carnivorous feline of Africa and northwest India, having a short tawny coat, a tufted tail, and, in the male, a heavy mane around the neck and shoulders.

Leopard - Panthera pardus
A large, carnivorous feline having either tawny fur with dark rosette-like markings or black fur.