Meet the Serengeti's Big Five

The endless plains of the Serengeti are home to millions of animals that roam the land. In the past, before the park was fully classified as a national park and protected, the Masai warriors, a people from East Africa, shared these vast spaces with them. The term "Big Five" is derived from the original animal hunters. The Big Five represent the five most difficult and dangerous animals for the Masai to hunt. They are lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo and leopards. Unfortunately, some of these species are now endangered or threatened with extinction. However, by taking part in the safaris, paying your entrance fees and choosing a responsible way of visiting the park, you can do your bit to help save the animals. What's more, tourism around the park creates jobs and offers an alternative to poaching.

Surely the most difficult animal to observe, the leopard likes to rest high up in the cool of the trees. They start hunting in the evening and can reach a top speed of almost 60 km/h. Although there are many leopards in the Serengeti (nearly 1,000 according to UNESCO), you need a lynx's eye to catch a glimpse of them. If they are on the ground, they can move as fast as the grass, especially during the hunting season. Their prey is smaller than that of the lion, but leopards have been known to hunt elk. This is one of the largest antelope species in existence, weighing up to 900 kg, whereas the average male leopard weighs just 32 kg. To make sure no one steals it, it's not unusual for the leopard to take its prey high up into a tree. A fascinating sight.

Where can you see it?

To maximise your chances of spotting the leopard, head to Seronera in particular. The central part of the park, along the valleys and rivers.

This is surely the rarest animal in the Serengeti, with fewer than 200 currently counted. To catch a glimpse of them, you're likely to have better luck at the Ngorongoro Crater. But they can also be seen in the north, on the banks of the Masai Mara river. Like the buffalo, these behemoths love mud baths to protect their skin from parasites. This giant, which can weigh up to 2,500 kg, is a great loner (except for its mothers, who are with their young). Its population is extremely threatened and it is an extraordinary opportunity to see one. Its only predator is man and it is extremely wary of him, charging in if it feels threatened or to protect its young.

Undeniably known as the king of the savannah, he represents wild strength, respected and feared at the same time. Fortunately, one of the largest lion populations in the world is found in Tanzania, with around 3,000 individuals. They live in herds and have a stable, well-defined social unit. A single dominant male, for example, has the right to reproduce in a pride. Lions are at home on large, dry, open plains. It is common to see them watching for the birth of baby wildebeest on the endless plains before the great migrations.

This is probably the easiest animal to spot on safari, as it is the only one of the Big Five not to be threatened or endangered (there are over 30,000 of them). The herds that can be seen number in the thousands. They live in groups on the endless plains of the Serengeti. They live an average of 25 years and weigh between 700 and 900 kilos. They have an enormous need for water, so it's not unusual to see them near waterholes to drink. Although less impressive than all the others, the buffalo is considered the most dangerous of the big five, as it does not hesitate to charge. But the danger is even greater when a male buffalo is alone; he can charge at any moment if he feels threatened, and then looks like an enraged bull.

The African elephant is the largest land mammal on our planet. It is an endangered species and is poached en masse for its ivory. The elephant population in Tanzania has been growing steadily since 2019 (from 6,000 to 7,000 individuals). This is quite a reversal, as the country had been suffering from industrial-scale poaching since 2009. Between 2009 and 2014, more than 60,000 animals were slaughtered, representing almost 60% of the Serengeti population. The final straw is that these big, quiet giants have no real predators (apart from humans). They may charge if they feel threatened or to protect their young. But their top speed barely reaches 20 km/h. That doesn't make them ideal sprinters. What's more, they are capable of travelling great distances in search of water. Their social organisation is also very interesting, as the troop is led by a matriarch who makes decisions for the group.