No visit to Africa is complete without seeing the Big Five out there in the wild. South Africa is the perfect venue for an adventure safari to view the Big Five. But what are the Big Five. Traditionally the Big Five are the African Elephant, the Rhinoceros, the African Buffalo, the Lion and the Leopard.

The African Elephant is found in a wide variety of habitats, but specifically in areas where there is a plentiful supply of food and water. Its diet, totally vegetarian, includes grasses, leaves and other plants. Under normal circumstances the elephant will consume some 300kgs of food each day, and to supplement this will drink up to 200 litres of water a day. It is estimated that there are some 600000 elephants in Africa.

The African Buffalo is normally found in large herds roaming open woodland savannah. Like the elephant, the buffalo needs a good supply of grass and water. The buffalo has a reputation of being the most dangerous animal to be found in the bush, and this beast has been known to kill several people each year. It can weigh as much as one metric tonne and stand 1.7 metres tall at the shoulder.

The Rhinoceros is the third of the Big Five. There are two species to be found in southern Africa, the White Rhinoceros and the Black. The White Rhino is the larger of the two and can weigh as much as 2000kgs as opposed to the Black, which weighs up to 1000kgs. The rhinoceros’ diet consists of grass and small shrubs – it is generally a solitary animal but can be seen in small family groups of two or three animals.

The Lion is the largest of the cat family and is entirely carnivorous. The adult male lion will weigh up to 220kgs with the female about 100kgs lighter. Lions can be found in most habitats with the exception of forests. They are normally found in family groups consisting of an alpha male with several females and younger lions of both sexes. Adult males can frequently be found as solitary animals. The lion’s normal diet consists of large mammals, which it hunts and kills as a group.

The Leopard is much smaller than the lion and is the smallest of the Big Five, weighing only about 50 to 80kgs. Leopards can be found in most habitats in southern Africa. There are several sub-species throughout Africa and Asia. The leopard will often leave its kill in a tree and return to feed over a period of several days. A leopard will feed on anything from insects to large mammals.