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03.19.24 Tuesday
Bushmen Safaris Hunting Glossary (A – E)
By: Bushmen Safaris
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The number of species that are allowed to be hunted in South Africa is unparalleled, and the Bushmen Safaris hunting properties feature many of these species. In our safari hunting glossary, you can learn more about the animals that will be a welcome addition to your trophy room.

Baboon – There are five different species of baboons, and all of them live in Africa or Arabia. Baboons are some of the world's largest monkeys, and males of different species average from 33 to 82 pounds. Baboon bodies are 20 to 40 inches long, not including substantial tails of varying lengths. Baboons generally prefer savanna and other semi-arid habitats, though a few live in tropical forests. Baboons do not have prehensile (gripping) tails, but they can and do climb trees to sleep, eat, or look out for trouble. They spend much of their time on the ground.

Big Five – The phrase Big Five was coined by big-game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the Lion, the African Elephant, the Cape Buffalo, the Leopard and the Rhinoceros, either the black rhinoceros or the white rhinoceros. The members of the big five were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and not their size.

Black Backed Jackal – The Black Backed Jackal is endemic to Africa, found in two separate subpopulations: one in East Africa; and one in southern Africa. The species is generally widespread, and are well-suited for an opportunistic lifestyle in a wide variety of habitats. The species is persecuted for its role as livestock killers and as rabies vectors.

Black Wildebeest – The Black Wildebeest is one of two wildebeest species. The natural populations of this species, endemic to the southern part of Africa, have been almost completely exterminated, but the species has been reintroduced widely, both in private areas and nature reserves throughout most of Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia and Kenya.

Blesbok (Common) – The Blesbok is a purplish antelope with a distinctive white face and forehead. Its white face is the origin of its name, because bles is the Afrikaans word for blaze. Although they are close relatives of the Bontebok and they can interbreed creating an animal known as the Bontebles, they do not share habitat. The Blesbok is indigenous to South Africa and are found in large numbers in all national parks with open grasslands.

Blue Wildebeest – The Blue Wildebeest is a large antelope and one of two species of wildebeest. They range the open plains, bushveld and dry woodlands of Southern and East Africa, realizing a life span in excess of twenty years. This herbivore is a grazing animal that is often sighted in open grasslands or clearings in a savanna. The male is highly territorial using scent markings and other devices to protect his domain. The largest population is in the Serengeti, numbering over one million animals.

Brown Hyena – This scruffy looking scavenger is distinguished from the other three hyena species by its long shaggy coat and pointed ears. The Brown Hyena has a dark brown or slate colored coat with a short brown tail, and striped brown and white legs. Cream-colored fur around the neck forms a distinct mane in adults, which, along with the hair on its back, stands erect in aggressive or defensive situations. Sometimes, the mane may not be present, as due to fighting it has been replaced by scar tissue. Like all hyenas, the Brown Hyena possesses incredibly strong teeth and jaws, enabling it to crush bones and release the nutritious marrow within.

Bushbuck – The Bushbuck has geometrically shaped white patches or spots on the most mobile parts of the body – the ears, chin, tail, legs and neck. Males make the markings more visible during highly ritualized displays during which they arch their backs and walk in a tense, high-stepping gait. The hierarchy among males is age-based; as they get older and the chestnut color changes to dark brown, the white markings are more conspicuous. Only male Bushbucks have horns, which are between 10 and 20 inches long and grow straight back. At 10 months, young males sprout horns that are strongly twisted and at maturity form the first loop of a spiral.

Bush Pig – The Bush Pig is a strong, stocky pig with powerful forequarters. Its upper tusks are barely visible, but the lower tusks are razor sharp and grow to 7cm in length. It is very dangerous when surprised in the bush or wounded during hunting, and can inflict serious wounds with the sharp, protruding canines. An adult boar can measure 24 to 33 inches at the shoulder and 320 to 400 lb in weight.

Cape Buffalo – The African buffalo, affalo or cape buffalo is a large African bovid. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear. Owing to its unpredictable nature which makes it highly dangerous to humans, it has not been domesticated, unlike its Asian counterpart, the domestic Asian water buffalo.

Caracal – The Caracal is a fiercely territorial medium-sized cat ranging over Western Asia and Africa. With their sleek, streamlined bodies, reddish gold coats, and the dramatic markings on the face, Caracals are among the most beautiful of cats. Also called the desert lynx, medium-sized caracals have no spots or stripes and have longer legs than a true lynx and a slimmer body. They are the heaviest and also the fastest of the small cats. Like the rest of the small cats, they may purr when content and make a variety of other mews, growls, and hisses to express their mood.

Civet Cat – The Civet Cat is the largest representative of the family Viverridae which comprises themselves, suricates, mongoose and genets weighing about 22 – 26 pounds. They secrete an oily, tar – like and odiferous substance from perianal glands when excited. They vocalize with a loud pitched cough or a low growl. The limbs are short and black. The Civet Cat is secretive and nocturnal by habit, lying up in dense grass, holes or bush thickets, during daylight hours. Civets are mainly carnivorous, preying on snakes and small mammals but also readily feed on invertebrates, fruits, berries and other vegetable matter. 

Eland – The Eland is the world's largest and slowest antelope. However, it has the endurance to maintain a trot indefinitely and can jump an 8 foot fence from a standstill. Both males and females have horns that spiral tightly, though female horns tend to be longer and thinner. A tuft of black hair grows out of the male eland's prominent dewlap, the loose fold of skin that hangs down from the neck. Adult males also have a mat of hair on the forehead that grows longer and denser as the animal ages. Usually fawn or tawny-colored, elands turn gray or bluish-gray as they get older; the oldest animals become almost black. The Eland is the animal most often depicted in the early rock art of East Africa. Even today, it still holds an important place in the mythology of some southern African tribes.

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