Africa’s famous Big 5 species are made up of lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and Cape buffalo, and the term came about during the colonial period to refer to the five animals that were considered the most difficult and dangerous to hunt while on foot. Now, seeing Africa’s Big 5 is one of the main goals for many photographic safari enthusiasts.
This post digs a bit deeper into Africa’s apex predator, the lion. Weighing up to 500 lbs, these massive cats can take down a Cape buffalo (no small animal itself!), though most of the time they are seen on safari, they are resting. Many safari-goers recognize similar behavior to house cats – small bursts of energy (hunting), followed by long periods of rest (“conserving energy”).
A few interesting lion facts:
Even the most seasoned safari visitors don’t tire of seeing lions. All of us at AAC come home from safari with lion stories, which got us to thinking – why not share a few?
Kent
My favorite place to see lions is the Serengeti in Tanzania as there are so many individuals and prides, and so many opportunities to see them interacting with each other and with other species. Many of the males have large, dark manes which make them look very impressive. One of my best sightings was years ago in Seronera, the central part of the Serengeti, where we saw a double kill…when large, thirsty herds were coming down to the Seronera River to drink, a pride took down a zebra and a wildebeest at the same time. Very exciting!
Sara
My most memorable lion sighting was at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve on a morning game drive. The guide heard that the resident pride of lions had moved back into the Reserve, so we were on a mission to find them. We were really rewarded when we did! It was a pride of 16 lions with a mix of adult females and cubs of every size. They were just beginning to wake up for the day and one by one stood, stretched, yawned, nudged each other, and slowly started walking to a new location. Just when I thought all the cubs were up and moving another would pop up out of the bush and leap after its mom. They were all so adorable. We followed the pride for about an hour and they slowly made their way through the bush. Sometimes they would stop and take a break to relax or the cubs would play. It was amazing to see them all together and on the move!
Beth
Big cats are my favorite animals to spot on safari and seeing lion cubs is a special bonus. While on safari in Botswana, my expert guide spotted a lioness taking her two four-month-old cubs out for a walk. The guide was so in tune with her patterns that he could anticipate where the family was walking. After first seeing the three lions in an area of tall grass, he moved our vehicle further away in the field. At first I was skeptical. Why were we way out here when the other safari vehicle who had arrived at the sighting after us was still way back there near them? I wanted to see the cubs! But then his intuition paid off and it was clear to me why we were exactly where we were. From the tall grasses, out walked the proud mother and her two four-month-old cubs. They walked down an open path, setting up a beautiful scene for us. While we got to enjoy the lions in the open walking directly towards us, the other vehicle was still driving from their initial spot and had to park behind us. What a special morning!
