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The “Big 5” For Each Continent

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by BerdNerd, 7 Jan 2021.

  1. BerdNerd

    BerdNerd Well-Known Member

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    As you probably already know, the “Big 5” are five African animals (African Elephant, Black Rhinoceros, Cape Buffalo, African Lion, & Leopard) that big game hunters consider to be the hardest to hunt. But that’s only for Africa. What about for the other 6 continents? What do you guys think the Big 5 for the other 6 continents would be, and would you change Africa’s Big 5 in any way?
     
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  2. Enzo

    Enzo Well-Known Member

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    I believe the Asian Big Five animals are the Asian elephant (more specifically the Indian elephant), the greater one-horned rhino, the gaur, the tiger (more specifically the Bengal tiger) and the bear (more preferably the Ussuri brown or polar bear).
     
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  3. CheeseChameleon1945

    CheeseChameleon1945 Well-Known Member

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    Top 10 in North America would probably be
    American Black bear
    Cougar
    Bald eagle
    White tailed deer
    Moose
     
  4. Onychorhynchus coronatus

    Onychorhynchus coronatus Well-Known Member

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    I suppose it depends where it is in North America though.

    If it was in Mexico which is also part of the continent then you could also add Baird's tapir and jaguar too it (the jag could also be added in the American South-West).
     
    Last edited: 7 Jan 2021
  5. Onychorhynchus coronatus

    Onychorhynchus coronatus Well-Known Member

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    I have no idea what would constitute a "big five" or how it would be defined but for South America perhaps for large bodied mammals and birds it might be :

    Jaguar
    Spectacled bear
    Lowland tapir
    Giant anteater / giant otter / maned wolf
    Andean condor / harpy eagle / hyacinth macaw / rhea

    If we are going by the traditional definition of "Big five" as in the old hunting term / expression I know that big game hunters like Roosevelt during their trips to South America used to hunt jaguar, puma, tapir and peccary as targets / trophies and specimens.
     
    Last edited: 7 Jan 2021
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  6. CheeseChameleon1945

    CheeseChameleon1945 Well-Known Member

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    Thats exactly the problem though, "Big five" can be different for Each Country or something even smaller then that. So maybe a "Big five" for each country could be more realistic.
     
  7. Onychorhynchus coronatus

    Onychorhynchus coronatus Well-Known Member

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    Yes, it is an ambiguous category / criteria at best anyway.
     
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  8. CheeseChameleon1945

    CheeseChameleon1945 Well-Known Member

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    Exactly. :)
     
  9. dinosauria

    dinosauria Well-Known Member

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    Here's my guesses for Oceania and Antarctica. For Antarctica, oceanic species will be included.

    Oceania
    Red Kangaroo
    Saltwater Crocodile
    Emu
    Southern Cassowary/Freshwater Crocodile
    Perentie/Common Wombat


    Antarctica
    Emperor Penguin
    Leopard Seal
    Wandering Albatross
    Southern Elephant Seal
    Southern Fur Seal/Crabeater Seal
     
  10. CheeseChameleon1945

    CheeseChameleon1945 Well-Known Member

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    Is it well known? I mean It took me a while to learn about this one, but then again a few years ago I had a big shift in my interests other than Mammals, spreading to inverts, birds, and fish.
    I'm not from Australia so I'm not one to judge. :)
     
  11. The Cassowary

    The Cassowary Well-Known Member

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    For North America it would probably be:

    Grizzly bear or polar bear
    American bison
    Moose
    Puma
    Gray wolf or American black bear
     
  12. dinosauria

    dinosauria Well-Known Member

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    I'm not from Australia either but it is the largest goanna in the world and a very impressive lizard that I've seen quite a few times in books and articles about Australian fauna.
     
  13. TinoPup

    TinoPup Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Given it's illegal to kill eagles, I wouldn't put them in the big 5..
     
  14. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    One small correction, the Big Five were considered the most dangerous to hunt, not the most difficult.
     
  15. Junklekitteb

    Junklekitteb Well-Known Member

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    If we are suggesting ‘valid’ Big 5’s as per the old definition, it would do well that a generally dangerous creature (like hippo or sperm whale) is not necessarily very dangerous to hunt, as many kind of just sit in one place.
    I’d imagine those would probably be pretty easy to hunt. They’re slow on land, can’t attack if you’re on a boat, and generally aren’t that afraid of humans.
     
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  16. dinosauria

    dinosauria Well-Known Member

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    While I do agree, there's not much else there that's big, not fully-aquatic, and would look good as a game trophy.
     
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  17. Onychorhynchus coronatus

    Onychorhynchus coronatus Well-Known Member

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    I think the green anaconda would also count for South America as some truly gigantic specimens of these were commonly shot by the old explorers and naturalists.
     
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  18. Enzo

    Enzo Well-Known Member

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    The US has/had jaguars though, so it'd still be valid to add them if the list only included US animals.
     
  19. Onychorhynchus coronatus

    Onychorhynchus coronatus Well-Known Member

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    Yes, I know and I agree that they should be included as US animals too , even though there will hardly be enough of them anymore.

    I think there is actually only one of them left now ?
     
  20. CheeseChameleon1945

    CheeseChameleon1945 Well-Known Member

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    Oops, I guess I should of read the first post better. I thought it was the top 5 most POPULAR animals, My bad.