You Know The Big Five, Now Meet The Little Five

by | Sep 23, 2009 | Uncategorized

Most people who come on a South African safari do so in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the magnificent and famous Big Five species of the African animal kingdom: the elephant, lion, rhinoceros, buffalo and leopard.

What few people know is that the Big Five have five little counterparts, called – of course – the Little Five. The list for the Little Five was dreamed up by some clever folks to promote the cause and plight of these tiny creatures. You’ll notice that the name of each chosen little one quite wittily refers to a member of the Big Five.

First up is the Ant Lion. It is an odd-looking, round-bodied creature (in some stages of its life it is said to even resemble a dragonfly, even though it doesn’t fly) and can be found digging conical depressions in dry, soft sand in order to trap its prey: ants.

Next we have the Buffalo Weaver. These red-billed, social birds are known to build rather messy nests high up in the forks of tall trees. Apart from being bad builders and housekeepers, they are noisy too! Not the most ideal neighbours then.

The Rhinoceros Beetle is so-named due to the horns on its head, lending it a look reminiscent of its larger counterpart. Even the females are horned, because they use the horns to climb, dig and mate. Unlike the males, the females don’t use their horns for fighting rivals, though. Rhinoceros beetles are among the largest beetles found in southern Africa.

The Leopard Tortoise gets its name from the distinctive and beautiful black and yellow spots on its shell. These bushveld dwellers can grow to be quite large. A male can weigh more than 23 kilograms and have a shell with a circumference of up to one metre!

Rounding up the Litte Five is the Elephant Shrew. At first glance, it is evident that this weird-looking creature gets its name from its elongated snout. These insectivores feed on insects, fruit, nuts and seeds. They are found all over South Africa, but they are on the shy and wary side, so they may be incredibly difficult to spot.

In fact, to see most of these creatures, people will need endless patience and telescopic vision. Let us know if you have any luck though!

South Africa – Your Safari Destination

by | Feb 6, 2009 | South Africa Safari News

Many travellers do not really equate Africa with luxury.

In the imaginations of the uninitiated, the entire continent is often conjured up as a near inhabitable zone of desolate, rugged terrain, not meant to be explored by anyone other than the most hardy adventurers and adrenaline junkies.

So they toss their dreams of finally experiencing an African safari aside and opt for another trip to elsewhere in Europe or the US instead.

The truth is that Africa has plenty to offer the faint hearted, non-outdoorsy types too.

From coast to coast, South Africa literally brims with luxury safari lodges and five star private game reserves with plenty of world class amenities rivalling (or sometimes even exceeding) those offered by any first world, five star hotel.

No need to sweat it in the African heat. You can have an air-conditioned room! Feeling cut off from the rest of the world after having travelled so many hours to reach far-flung South Africa? Then satellite television will provide your daily news fix via CNN or the BBC. Or rid yourself from the jet lag by booking into the spa for some well-deserved pampering.

You needn’t leopard crawl through the bush or stalk the Big Five on foot in an attempt to catch a glimpse of them.

But all these creature comforts at your fingertips in the heart of Africa needn’t make you worry that your experience won’t be ‘African’ enough. At many of these facilities, it is truly a collision between the two worlds, offering visitors the best of both of them.