Big 5 and More (Day 36)

The Big 5 is a list of the most dangerous large animals in Africa: lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and buffalo. It is the typical safari ”to see” list. We have added other large animals that seemed dangerous and awesome to us.

Lions

Leopard

Cheetah

Cheetahs are swift hunters that can run up to 70 mph! (The fastest humans can sprint around 28 mph.). The cheetah is the fastest land animal.

Elephants

Rhinoceros

Hippopotamus

Cape buffalo

Crocodile

Monitor lizard

At up to 7 feet long, this is the largest lizard in Africa.

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COLLECTIVE NAMES OF ANIMALS

Many animal groups are referred to as “herd” of this or a “flock” of that.  And we all know some unusual collective names, such as a swarm of bees, a pack of wolves, or a litter of kittens.  On safari, you learn about ones you might not have known before…

• A crash of rhino

• A dazzle of zebra

• A convocation of eagles

• A band of gorillas

• A pride of lions

• A troop of baboons

• A coalition of cheetahs

• A cackle of hyenas

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MAYBE NOT FOR THE KIDS

 
We saw a number of skeletons and carcasses in the Maasai Mara. Our kids thought this was gross at first, but then they got used to it, and started to think it was scary and cool!

Hippo skeleton

Wildebeest skeleton

Vulture Feeding Frenzy

One day, we came upon a hippo that had died. It had a huge gash on its side.

Later, we came back to find a vulture feeding frenzy!

Their heads are red with blood! (Most of these are white-backed vultures, which have white heads.)

It was really gross but also fascinating! When you think about it, vultures perform a vital service — efficiently cleaning up dead animal carcasses. Also, vultures are really tough, strong birds. Huey decided he might want to be a vulture.