The term “Big Five” was coined by big-game hunters and refers to the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. It does not refer to the actual size of those animals. It consists of the lion, the African elephant, the Cape buffalo, the black or white rhinocerus and the leopard.

The Black rhinocerus is considered an endangered species. Both the lion and the African elephant are classified as valnurable. The buffalo is conservation depended. The white rhinocerus and the leopard are near threatened.