On an African safari, everyone hopes to see the exciting Big Five lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards, and rhinos. However, there are other rare and elusive creatures in the wild that are much harder to spot.
These animals are known as the “Elusive Eleven.” While the Big Five are famous, the Elusive Eleven are the mysterious and often shy animals that require a bit more luck and persistence to find and very few folks can lay claim to having seen them all. We introduce you to these shy, mysterious and hard-to-find creatures.
We all know about the Big Five of Africa, and some of us may have even heard of the New Big Five. But how many of you know about the Elusive Eleven? And if you do, could you list them all? Also, have you seen any of them? To have seen even one of them is quite the accomplishment.
- Aardvark
An aardvark cub spotted in the Okavango Delta, Masai-Mara Game Reserve. The aardvark is a medium-sized, solitary animal that feeds almost exclusively on ants and termites. The tip of its snout is highly mobile. And they use their long, strong claws to tear open termite mounds. The aardvark sleeps in a burrow. Its name is Afrikaans and actually means ‘earth pig’ or ‘ground pig’, because of its burrowing habit and its vague resemblance to a pig. Aardvarks live in burrows. They can dig extremely quickly and will sometimes dig a burrow as a means of escape from a predator.
Given their solitary and nocturnal nature, you can understand why it’s not easy at all to spot an aardvark on an African safari! It really deserves to be one of the Elusive Eleven.
- Aardwolf
An aardwolf in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. It might not surprise you to learn that aardwolf is also an Afrikaans word, and means ‘earth wolf’. But while the aardwolf is in the order of carnivora, it’s an insectivore, eating termites and larvae. In fact, a grown aardwolf can eat as many as 250,000 termites in a night! It has a long, sticky tongue, which helps it to lap all those tasty termites. Said tongue has adapted so as not to be hurt by termite bites.
Another name for the aardwolf is the termite-eating hyena, which is a helpfully descriptive name.
- African Civet
The main threat to civets is not lions, but humans. For many of us, the black patches around the eyes of the African civet are reminiscent of the racoon. They are commonly found in areas with abundant water sources and dense vegetation. They can be seen in Queen Elizabeth; Murchison falls and others. The dorsal crest on the back of the African civet is another distinguishing marker. When threatened, the dorsal crest is raised to present a larger profile. While the civet isn’t endangered, it’s hunted in some places in West Africa for its meat and fur. And it has actually been hunted for centuries because the secretion of its perineal glands is used in perfumes. Animal rights groups are trying to end this inhumane practice.
- African Wildcat
The African wildcat doesn’t look too dissimilar from a domestic cat, the African wildcat looks pretty similar to your tabby cat, and that’s because they’re part of the same animal family. It’s very similar to the European wildcat, but has shorter hair and a less bushy tail, among other things.
They actually meow all of its life like a domesticated cat, but it doesn’t direct its meows to humans but rather to the environment. The African wildcat can run up to 80 km (50 mi) per hour to catch prey. Interestingly, it’s average litter size is only one or two kittens. It can be found in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Samburu National Reserve, Meru National Park and Tsavo East National Park.
- African Bushpig
African bushpigs can reach up to 100 cm at the shoulder. The African bushpig belongs to the Suidae (swine) family, which consists of pigs, boars and hogs. Thus, its males are called boars, its females sows, and its babies’ piglets (or shoats). A group of bushpigs is called a sounder. African bushpig piglets are absolutely adorable, having brown and yellowish stripes. These fade as they get older, and the animal gets darker in colour. They bare generally seen in away from rain forests and generally prefer areas near rivers or swamps found in Virunga, Akagera, Bwindi and Kibale forest national park.
- Caracal
Caracals are beautifully striking cats. This beautiful wild cat is recognisable by its large ears with thin black tufts by the tips extending into sharp points. It also looks like it has eyeliner on, Individual coats can range from reddish-brown to yellowish. Caracals are related to other small cat species like cheetahs, which means they can’t roar, but they can purr. They are known to sometimes enter cities (in this way they’re similar to foxes in Europe). They’ve been seen and photographed in and around Cape Town and its beaches many times, for instance. This is because they’re highly flexible in terms of behaviour. They can be seen in Meru and Serengeti National Park.
- Honey Badger (Or Ratel)
Most of us, if we know just one thing about honey badgers, is that they are incredibly strong and fierce. Honey badgers are fearless, and if escape is impossible, they’ll attack anything, even lions, elephants and buffaloes, you simply don’t want to corner a honey badger. The honey badger only comes up to the knee of a grown man, but it should be treated with the respect and distance you’d give to a fully grown bull elephant!
Something you might not know about badgers is how good they are at digging. They can dig a burrow in hard ground within 10 minutes. The species gets its name from its tendency to party crash beehives to eat honey and larvae. They can be seen in Queen Elizabeth national Park, Masai Mara national Reserve, Kruger National park, Greater Kruger national park, Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve and Chobe national park.
- Pangolin
There are four species of pangolins in Africa, Giant ground pangolin in parts of central and west Africa, Temminck’s ground pangolin in parts of north, east and southern Africa, Long-tailed tree pangolin in central Africa, White-bellied tree pangolin in central Africa and coastal west Africa. All pangolins are covered almost entirely in scales except for their undersides. They curl up into a tight ball when threatened to the protect the vulnerable belly.
Pangolins are nocturnal, although the long-tailed pangolin is also active during the day. They have great hearing and smell, and use these to find termites, as their eyesight is poor. Similar to aardvarks and aardwolves, they have long, strong claws for breaking down ground and vegetation to get at prey, and have long tongues for licking up said prey up. Trading in pangolins is illegal, but sadly it does still occur. Pangolin meat is a delicacy in parts of Asia, and their scales are used in traditional medicines. It’s the most endangered of the Elusive Eleven animals. They can be found in Amboseli, Maasai Mara, Kakamega Forest in Kenya and Lake Victoria region kenya and other places with fewer chances of spotting them.
- Porcupine
A type of rodent, the porcupine’s closest relative is the hedgehog. But it’s bigger and has longer quills than the hedgehog. And while hedgehogs are cuddly, porcupines most certainly are not. All three species are nocturnal herbivores (although occasionally they’ll scavenge). Female porcupines deliver litters of one to four pups, and the pups’ quills are soft when born. As you can see from the scientific names above, the African brush-tailed porcupine is quite different to the other two species in some respects. For instance, the Cape and North African porcupines are strictly terrestrial, whereas the brush-tailed species is very adept at climbing trees. The latter is also much smaller than its counterparts.
When a porcupine is relaxed, its quills (or spines) lie flat. When it’s alarmed, they become erect and greatly increase the size of its outline. Clever design! But no, they can’t shoot them at predators. One can see these amazing creatures in mostly in Tsavo and Amboseli national parks.
- Side-Striped Jackal
Side-striped jackals are attractive canines that have brownish legs and greyish torsos. Up close you can see a feint stripe of darker fur on each flank. A telling identifier of the species is the bushy black tail with a white tip.
These jackals tend to live only three to four years in the wild. They’re preyed upon by lions, leopards and hyenas, and farmers sometimes poison them. Pups are also preyed upon by eagles. But in spite of their formidable predators, side-striped jackals aren’t endangered. Spotting sights in the 4 savanna national parks in Uganda that is Bwindi Forest, Murchison falls national park and Mgahinga.
- Serval
The serval is a long, slender wild cat with a reddish-brown pelage dotted with black spots. It has a thick neck, small head, and short tail. It also has striking black-and-white markings on its ears, but these can be hard to see from far away.
Servals, like caracals, are not strictly nocturnal. They’re also sometimes crepuscular, meaning they hunt at twilight. They can be found in Kidepo, queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Forest, Lake Manyara, Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro National parks.
Conclusion:
The Elusive Eleven offer a unique challenge for safari-goers looking for more than the usual Big Five sightings. From the secretive aardvark to the striking serval, these animals are often elusive because of their nocturnal habits, solitary nature, or preference for hiding in dense habitats. Spotting even one of these animals on a safari is a remarkable achievement, and seeing all of them would make you a true wildlife enthusiast. Whether you’re on a safari in Tanzania, Kenya, or Uganda, keep an eye out for these rare and wonderful creatures on your next African adventure.
