How it works
These safari trivia questions with answers print as a sheet and a key, or play on screen: four rounds on the Big Five, the animals around them, and where the word safari came from.
Read the full guide
African safari trivia questions and answers on paper
After ten answered questions the card shows Print question sheet. Open More options on the same card for Print answer key, where each answer comes with its reason.
Trivia questions about African animals, round by round
The Big Five names the five and counts a rhinoceros's horns. Mammals of plain and forest has the aardvark, the bonobo and the pangolins. Birds, reptiles and small creatures runs from the goliath frog to the red-billed quelea. The word and the journey follows safari from Arabic into English.
Questions and answers
What are the Big Five safari animals?
The lion, the leopard, the rhinoceros, the elephant and the African buffalo. The term was coined by big-game hunters, and today the five are more often sought by ecotourists and safari tour operators.
What does safari mean?
Journey. The Swahili word safari, from the Arabic safar, is used for any kind of journey; in English it means an overland trip to observe wild animals, especially in East Africa.
Is the giraffe one of the Big Five?
No. The Big Five are the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and African buffalo. The giraffe, the hippopotamus and the cheetah are not on the list.
How were the answers checked?
Each was read on October 3, 2026 in one of three English Wikipedia articles, linked under the question: Fauna of Africa, Safari or Big Five game. Trophy hunting and poaching figures are left out.