Africa is the without a doubt one of the most popular game-viewing destinations on the planet, and top of the social networking share list is the Big Five including the elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and the endangered rhino. Making the Big Five list due to the difficultly in being hunted and the degree of danger involved, over the course of the next few weeks we’ll be dropping by with some Big Five fun facts, these amazing animals featuring some pretty impressive characteristics. We’ll also give you the low down on where best to capture them on camera, plus the best tours from small group safaris through to overland expeditions and more!
Elephant:
– Elephants are the largest and most powerful land-living mammal in the world, these gentle giants reaching up to 4 metres (13 feet) high and weighing up to 6-8 tons. An adult elephant’s brain weighs 4.5 Kg (10 lbs) and they live around 60-70 years.
– Elephants drink about 190 litres (50 gallons) and consume 180 kg (400 lbs) or more of fodder each day.
– The elephant’s trunk is able to sense the size, shape and temperature of an object. An elephant uses its trunk to lift food and suck up water then pour it into its mouth. The trunk is very strong, containing 40,000 muscles.
– Elephants communicate seismically, by both sending and receiving information with their feet.
– African Elephants have large, thin ears. Their ears are made up of a complex network of blood vessels, which regulate an elephant’s temperature cooling it down. They also flap their ears for better blood circulation.
Where to head?
- Chobe National Park is known as the elephant capital of Africa, current estimations suggesting around 70,000 elephants inhabit its 11,700 km² area. If you’re of the opinion that bigger is better, Chobe is the perfect place to go, these mammals increasing in number over the dry season when they gather around the permanent waterholes.
- The Okavango Delta is another elephant hot spot, Africa’s last remaining wetland wilderness one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries on earth.
- We’ve recently changed many of our small group safaris to include more time at Nata. This unfenced 16000 ha private conservancy, is a truly wild locale and an added bonus, you can view the elephants campside while lazing by the pool.
- While Botswana rules when it comes to “elie” viewing, Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park also deserves a mention. The country’s largest park is home to around 120,000 elephants, visitors helping to stem the threat of poaching every time they hop on a game drive!
Blog written by: Acacia Sales/Marketing team