The Ugly 5

The Ugly 5

Normally when people visit Africa, one of the major bucket list items is to see the big 5; lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. However, there are so many more interesting animals to see. Over the years, people have come up with alternative lists of animals to look out for.

In this blog series, we will highlight some of the “Other Five”; the Ugly Five, the Shy Five and the Small Five.

This blog is about the Ugly Five. It’s quite an unfortunate name for these animals that are generally a bit less loved because of their looks. But don’t be fooled by these looks! Each of this magnificent creature has their own set of unique and fascinating skills and traits!

Warthog

Since the movie the Lion King came out, these animals are well known as Pumba. They are highly social and they are very clever. They sleep in underground barrows which they normally ‘hijack’ from other animals. They spend their day looking for food, wallowing in mud and when they run their tail stand up straight, just like an antenna!

Marabou Stork (also known as the Undertaker)

The Marabou stork is a large bird with very long legs, which are hollow. Their major food source comes from scavenging. They often hang around big herds of animals, so they can catch the fleeing insects that are disturbed by their movement. Their nickname ‘Undertaker’ comes from their unsightly looks and behaviour.

Hyena

Contrary to what if often said about them, hyena are very successful hunters. They run their prey down to exhaustion and can do this for kilometres! The females are great mothers, they spend a lot of time looking after their cubs. Cubs are born with their eyes open and with a full mouth of teeth. They completely depend on mother’s milk for the first 6 months of their lives.

Vulture

Often, when in the bush, you can find vultures in a place where a kill has taken place. These scavengers will sit in trees surrounding a dead animal and will wait their turn until the carcass is deserted by its killers.  There are 11 species in Africa and they are recognised as endangered or critically endangered African animals.

Wildebeest

An old African legend says that when God created the wildebeest, he used the body parts left over from five other species: a buffalo’s horns, a locust’s head, a cow’s body and a lion’s tail. And because he had some goat legs left over, he used them too. The name derives from the Dutch ‘wild beest’ and they are best known for the famous migration in Tanzania and Kenia.