1. African Elephants (largest)
2. Lion
3. Leopard
4. Cape Buffalo (most dangerous)
5. Rhino

We saw several of all species with the exception of the leopard. There was a leopard track sighting in the Serengeti, and a supposed scat identification (by our guide) on Mt. Kenya at 13,200 ft. Whatever it was that left the scat was a) a predator, and b) quite large.

African Elephant

Tembo or Ndovu

The largest land mammal. Both male and female have tusks, which start growing in year 2 or 3. Males outweigh females by up to 2 to 1, weighing in between 11,000 and 13,200 lbs.

Lake Manyara

   Mother and young        Mother, young and father (note the missing tail on the mother)

   Female and male, serious wrinkles!

Our last safari animal was a very large elephant, estimated to be 45 yrs. old by our guide

  The big boy sprays water, while the lost duck cries "Daddy?".  Would have made my top 10 if it were better focused.

Big boy grabs some nourishment

  Check out the size compared to the land cruiser

Lion

Simba (no, I am not kidding...Disney stole the Swahili word for the Lion King star!)

A pride of 20 patrols Nabi Hill in the Serengeti

  The male is a maneless lion    Heat and flies are a constant bother

  A lioness watching over cubs

Can these cubs really be part of the Big 5?

Our second lion sighting was just minutes after the pride, with 2 lions in a very thorny acacia tree

  Does she have a thorn in her foot?     

  Oh, she is a he and has some large teeth       There's a nightmare somewhere in this picture

This male was sprawled out by one of the roads in the Ngorongoro crater

  Obviously, he just had a drink 

Cape Buffalo

Nyati or Mbogo

Males - 1,100 - 1,760 lbs., females 1,210 lbs. Males have a thicker boss. The cape buffalo is considered to be the most dangerous of the big 5.

  Bird coming in for a landing       Houston, we have touchdown

  A rather large buf with birds

Black Rhino

Kifaru

2,000 - 3,080 lbs. Hunted nearly to extinction, there are now fewer than 2,500 black rhinos in the world. The Ngorongoro Crater is home to 28, and we saw 7 of them. The other type of rhino, the white rhino, can be nearly twice as large but is more docile and less dangerous than the black rhino.

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