The Big Five in Uganda
The Big Five in Uganda: The big five animals make Uganda’s wildlife more exciting and they are known to be one of the major attractions in the country that attract many individuals to travel from all over the world to Uganda.
The big five animals were named by the ancient hunters because they are seen to be fierce animals compared to all other animals in the national parks and this was because they are intimidating, strong, and big in size.
The big five animals include; the African Elephant, Lions, Leopards, Rhinos and cape buffalos and because of their qualities, they are the most respectable mammal species referred to as the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot
apart from Uganda being a home to the big five, it also harbours a number of many wildlife species, which also attract many tourists such as; chimpanzees, Mountain gorillas, Golden monkeys, bird species, and many others.
And in this article, we get to know more about the big five and where one is most likely to encounter them from while on a wildlife safari in the country and they are as below;
The big five animals in Uganda.
African Elephant.
African Elephants are herbivorous animals, upper incisors that form long curved tusks of ivory and little hair on their skin. These mammal species live within the mountain forests and within the forest savannah as their natural habitats and they eat up about 450 kilograms of vegetation per day. These African Elephants have large ears and long trucks and it is noticed that the males are bigger in size than the females whereby a fully grown male elephant weighs 6300 kilograms while the female elephants weigh half the weight of the male.
They can be witnessed from; Kidepo National Park, Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth national park.
Rhinos.
Rhinoceros species can only be found in the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is located in Nakitoma village in Nakasongola district. The word rhinoceros was derived from the Greek word, which means “rhino” as a nose and “ceros” as horn. These rhino species are known to be herbivorous mammal species, which have massive bodies, two dermal horns, and stumpy legs. However, these Rhino species are also known to have a poor eyesight but have a strong sense of smell and hearing.
Leopards.
Leopards are the smallest species compared to the other big five animals which are naturally shy cat animals and nocturnal animals which are known to spend most of their time in daylight hours. These animals feed on insects, fish, mice, dead animals and other big animals like; antelopes and dogs. More so, they are found of searching of their food during the night hours while hiding their catch in trees and they use a skill of creeping up on other animals and bite their neck as soon as they attack them. Leopards are easily tracked within the highland forests and woodlands where they stay as their natural habitats. And tourists can visit Murchison falls national park, Kidepo national park, and Queen Elizabeth national park where they can be able to get the best view of these species.
Lions.
African lions are commonly known and referred to as “the kings of the jungle” and considered as the largest cats compared to all other big cats in Uganda. These lions are social among themselves whereby they live in groups, which are known as “prides” which consist of females and their cubs and they also seen as string, brave, and royal animals. Lions have muscular legs with the fore limbs, which are designed for striking, gripping, seizing and the hind legs, which are good for pouncing. More so, lions have a powerful well-built jaw that when opened wide you are able to see about 30 conical teeth and the molars which are good at tenderizing, tearing and cutting the fresh of meat
These are can be marveled at from; Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison falls national park and Kidepo valley national park.
Buffalos.
African Buffalos which are also referred to as the Cape buffalos are known to the most dangerous animal species most especially when their peace is disturbed and wounded. In addition, these species can easily be distinguished from the other big animals because of their dark black color, small horns, and they have a lighting outward, upwards, and backwards, and they are characterized by their large ears, large fringed hair that lies below the massive horns. More so, tourists on a safari in Uganda can decide to visit in Murchison falls national park where they sight see these savanna buffalos from the East and red buffalos from the West and they can have chances to look at them within the dense forests of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Contact our trusted tour operators in case of more information about the big five animals in Uganda and Book with our tours and travel companies such as Achieve Global Safaris who offer the best tour packages during your safari in Uganda.
