The Little 5

- Safari Activity: how many can you spot?

Deservingly proud of its Big Five, South Africa is also the home of the Little Five: the Buffalo-weaver, Rhinoceros beetle, Elephant shrew, Leopard tortoise, and the Antlion. Simply based upon their matching names into the Big Five, it may be showcasing the fact that there’s much more to Africa than just the Big Five. Here is the list of the “Little 5”:

Elephant Shrew

The most adorable of the “Little 5”, the elephant shrew is really a tiny, insect eating mammal having a pointed nose. Elephant shrews are extremely typical in Southern Africa, however they are rarely spotted. They could grow as much as thirty centimeters and also have pretty long legs that they use to jump about searching for food.
Their tiny trunks are very flexible and could be turned to smell out insects, that they then flick inside their mouths making use of their tongues.

They have been recognized to jump nearly three feet in one bound. Elephants screws aren’t really sociable and they often stay in monogamous pairs. They label their own territory using a powerful smell made by a gland beneath the tail. Researchers have found that the Elephant shrew might actually be more strongly linked to elephants compared to shrews.

Buffalo Weaver Bird

The Buffalo weaver bird may either talk about the typical Black Buffalo Weaver, or White-headed Buffalo Weaver. They are both seen in dry places and they are common particularly in East Africa. Of all the Weavers, the Buffalo weaver is really an untidy nest-maker. Their particular big communal nests have a lot of side entrances and they are normally created from sticks and thorns.

They’re one of the biggest of the weaver birds, approximately to as much as 24 centimeters. Their nutrition includes medium and small grass seed, tiny insects, as well as little fruits. They’re very noisy and social birds, having so much of cackles and calls.

Antlion

The antlion is the tiniest member of the “Little 5” team, and in the United States, you might be more aware of its tag “doodlebug”. The Antlion is actually the larvae phase of the winged insect which appears just like a dragonfly. Antlions burrow small conically formed sand traps down the land to capture tiny ants, that they will eat by simply sucking them dry.

They then throw out the dried out carcass and watch for their second target. Unsurprising then, they most likely to reside in sandy, dry regions all over Africa. The antlion larvae have got a broad body, big jaws and evidently does not have an anus. It’s kind of a puzzle why they’re named “antlions”, perhaps due to their predatory character.

Rhino Beetle

The Rhino beetle is really a big insect having intense looking body armor. They are members of the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae). Rhino Beetles could grow anywhere up to 2.5 inches long. Both sexes have got equivalent body armor, however, only the males have got a big horn (and so the name “rhino”) that they use for the fight with some other males.

Rhino beetles likewise use their horns to drill down for food within decaying tree trunks, or undergrowth. They really have a good varied diet, they will consume decaying fruits, tree bark, sap and plant matter. Rhino beetles are one of the most powerful living creatures on earth in proportion to their bodyweight. Rhino beetle larvae normally take approximately 5 years to mature straight into an adult. They could be seen all throughout Africa.

Leopard Tortoise

Leopard tortoises all have special and delightful marks on their shells, thus got their name. They are seen all through sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in the drier, grassy regions of the place.

Leopard tortoises normally consume grasses, and that should match them well since they live around a hundred years. They often don’t dig unless when creating a nest for their eggs. Leopard tortoises could get as much as eighteen inches long and weigh to as much as forty pounds. They’re animals that love to go alone.