Beautiful 5

[flying cheetah]

Safari guides tell you about Big 5, Small 5, Secret 5 and even Ugly 5 ...but nobody talks about beautiful 5. so I decided to start this thread Here are my suggestions:

mammals:
Cheetah, Giraffe, Nyala, Honey badger, Sable

birds:
Woodland Kingfisher, Martial Eagle, Saddle-billed Stork, Southern Red Bishop, African Scops-Owl

What are your Beautiful 5??

[Bushcraft]

Under the mammals I would have to add the leopard, but my avatar shows that

On the rest I agree

[Poplap]

Great thread, FC!


Exceptional Five:

Serval
Civet
Genet
Porcupine
Honey Badger

(Aardvark and Pangolin and Anteater would of course be on the list if I thought it existed).




Five Top Carnivores:

Leopard
Cheetah
Lions
Hyena
African Wild Cat/Wild dogs (toss up here, sorry).

(Brown hyena, Aardwolf and Caracal would of course be on the list if I thought it existed).




Your bird list is OK. But I just looove the Ground Hornbills. And Brown-headed parrots. And owls. And raptors. And Green woodhoopoe. And Crowned and Trumpeter Hornbills. Kori Bustard. (Theuns called me Gompou for years - apparently the similarity with the eyes).


The Very Elusive Five:

Water mongoose
Bushbabies
Striped polecat
Cape clawless otter
Springhare


The Amazing Five:

Majestic elephants (especially tuskers)
Giraffes
Baboons (yeah, I know. But they are so human-like that they never fail to amaze/entertain me).
Rhinos
Eland/Roan/Sable.

Of course, a bushpig would have been on the list if I thought it existed.

In short, it seems that I do not have specifics. As I am amazed and intrigued by each animal that crosses my path. I admire the wonder of nature. How it was built for a specific purpose. Its survival skills. Its mere existence.

[Toko]

Mammals:
Giraffe, Sable, Zebra, Wild dog, Serval

Birds:
Saddle-billed Stork, Verreux's Eagle Owl, Black-shouldered Kite, Ground Hornbill, Lilac-breasted Roller

[General Gump]

Beautiful five in Kruger

Leopard
Sable bull
Kudu bull
Caracal
Lion

[Lisbeth]

My favourite animal is the elephant!

My beautiful five mammals are:

Leopard
Giraffe
Bushbuck
Serval
African Wildcat

Beautiful 5 birds:

Black-shouldered kite
Tawny eagle
The bee-eaters
Verraux eagle owl
The kingfishers
The sunbirds
The hornbills
The swallows
etc.

......were they more than 5

[Flutterby]

My Beautiful 5

Mammals:

Leopard
Cheetah
Wild Dog
Sable
Nyala

Birds:

African Fish Eagle
Martial Eagle
Lilac-Breasted Roller
Malachite Kingfisher
Any Bee-Eater

[iNdlovu]

My beautiful 5 in this order

1) Elephant herd matriarchs
2) Elephant infants
3) Elephant nursemaids
4) Elephant herd bulls
5) Elephant male adolescents

Great thread FC

[Dewi]

I've pondered on this one for a while now and I honestly cannot come up with a top 5 because I enjoy all wildlife, no matter how big or small, impressive predator or diminutive insect. They all hold a beauty of their own when you are watching them. I have gawped in amazement at breaching Humpback Whales, but had just as much enjoyment watching a Shongololo or Forest Cricket crossing the road. It's the beauty of the moment that counts for me. Seeing any animal in it's own environment behaving naturally will always be my all time top five.

[Lisbeth]

Come on Dewi, you must have some favourites at least among the birds??

We all kind of invent the list, especially not having seen them all, please do the same.