The Big Five
SA4x4|August 2017

What can we learn from the wild?

Bryan Havemann
The Big Five

Africa is the continent in which the term “The Big Five” was coined decades back and used to market and promote photographic safaris. It refers to the elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard that most tourists want to see and tick off their list when visiting Africa.

The phrase originated as a hunting term − any hunter who wanted a claim to fame would have to have hunted all five species. In the last century, there was an abundance of all these species in Africa, but because of human pressures and shrinking habitats, their numbers are dwindling in all areas except well-managed reserves.

A well-known theory of personality identifies the “Big 5” traits as Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness. Based on my experience with biodiversity conservation, I see a parallel link in the big animals. The lion is the extrovert, characterised by traits of excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high amounts of emotional expressiveness. The elephant fits the mould of agreeableness with traits of trust, kindness, affection and altruism. The leopard matches conscientiousness, with its attributes of thoughtfulness, good impulse-control, and goal-directed behaviours. Neuroticism nails the buffalo, characterised by sadness, moodiness, and emotional instability. The Rhino’s imagination and insight place it in the openness spectrum, associated with adventurous types who have a broad range of interests.

Lion

The lion has the reputation as the King of Beasts, and for this reason is classed as an extrovert.

Bu hikaye SA4x4 dergisinin August 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye SA4x4 dergisinin August 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

SA4X4 DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
SA4x4

Uganda The Pearl Of Africa

This trip, the very last in the series of stories from Dan Grec’s two-year Africa round trip, details a scary mishap and some extraordinary wildlife encounters

time-read
10+ dak  |
March 2020
Chewy, But Edible
SA4x4

Chewy, But Edible

Take another look at those garden pests

time-read
4 dak  |
March 2020
Auto Perfection?
SA4x4

Auto Perfection?

Adding a six-speed auto to Mahindra’s workhorse ups the game for this value proposition

time-read
3 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Defenders On Tour

The second 2019 Defender Trophy event kicked off in Limpopo and was unique in that participants camped in three different countries…

time-read
9 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Rad Rig The Dream Catcher

Motorhome world’s one-of-a-kind luxury globetrotter

time-read
4 dak  |
March 2020
The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader
SA4x4

The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader

A very important distinction needs to be made between the offroader and the overland traveller; often the two are thought to be the same.

time-read
5 dak  |
March 2020
Steelmate TP-S9
SA4x4

Steelmate TP-S9

Solar powered TPMS (External sensor)

time-read
3 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Light on the dark side

VW AMAROK DARK LABEL

time-read
4 dak  |
March 2020
Monkey business!
SA4x4

Monkey business!

Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are the most widespread of the African monkeys; occurring from the Ethiopian Rift Valley, highlands east of the Rift, and southern Somalia, through the eastern lowlands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia (east of the Luangwa Valley), Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and all nine provinces in South Africa.

time-read
3 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

GREAT ZOOKS

There are a few mishaps as a bunch of Jimnys tackle one of Lesotho’s premier off-road challenges, Baboon’s Pass

time-read
10 dak  |
March 2020