African Animals and the Big Five: Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo
This puzzle hides all of Africa's Big Five: the lion, the leopard, the rhino, the elephant and the Cape buffalo. The name comes from big-game hunters, for whom they were the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot; today it is a checklist for safari visitors with cameras.
The cheetah, the giraffe, the hippo and the zebra complete the list of African wildlife. Four words are diagonal, and three, giraffe, leopard and lion, run upward.
African Animal Vocabulary: 11 Words to Find
Words run across, up and down, and diagonally; 4 of the 11 read backwards. The longest words are Elephant and Wildlife, with 8 letters each.
- Buffalo: The Cape buffalo, a powerful African wild cattle that lives in large herds, one of the Big Five.
- Cheetah: The fastest land animal, a slim, spotted cat of the African savanna.
- Elephant: The largest land animal, which uses its trunk to breathe, smell, drink and grab food.
- Giraffe: The tallest animal, which eats leaves from the tops of acacia trees on the savanna.
- Hippo: A huge African mammal that spends the day in rivers and comes out at night to graze.
- Leopard: A spotted big cat of Africa and Asia that hunts at night and stores its prey in trees.
- Lion: The big cat of the African savanna that lives in family groups called prides.
- Rhino: The rhinoceros, a huge plant-eater with one or two horns made of keratin, like fingernails.
- Safari: A journey to see wild animals in their natural habitat, from the Swahili word for journey.
- Wildlife: Wild animals living in their natural habitat.
- Zebra: An African wild horse with black and white stripes.
How to Solve the African Animal Word Search
Start with the double letters: FF in "buffalo" and "giraffe", EE in "cheetah" and PP in "hippo". "Zebra" has the only Z and "wildlife" the only W; both are diagonal. "Rhino" is the only word that reads normally across.
African Safari Activities for the Classroom
- Play "safari": tick off the Big Five as you find them, then the rest of the animals.
- Find the countries of East and Southern Africa where safaris take place on a map.
- Ask students why the Big Five were given that name, and what it means today.
African Animal Word Search FAQ
Who is the African Animal Word Search for?
Kids aged 8 to 12 and anyone planning a safari, real or imaginary.
Which directions do the words run in?
Words run across, up and down, and diagonally; 4 of the 11 read backwards. 4 of them are diagonal.
Is there an answer key for the African Animal Word Search?
Yes. Download it from the printable section above: it is a separate PDF with all 11 words marked. Online, each word is crossed off the list the moment you find it.
More Animals by Habitat Word Searches
- Savanna Animals Word Search: the easy version, for younger kids.
- Jungle Animals Word Search: the animals of the rainforest.
More medium Animals by Habitat word searches (1 in this category)