The Ugly Five: Africa's Most Misunderstood Animals Explained

Written by the Paramount Gorilla Expeditions guiding team · Last updated 31 October 2026

The ugly five animals are the spotted hyena, the warthog, the blue wildebeest, the vultures and the marabou stork. They are a tourism nickname for the animals most visitors overlook, and they sit in the shadow of the Big Five lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. This guide explains what each of the ugly five really is, why the list exists, how the animals live, where to see them in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, how to photograph them and what is true and untrue about them. People also search for the same topic as the ugly 5, the ugly five Africa, ugly five animals safari, Africa's ugliest animals and the ugly five vs the big five.

Quick answer

What are the ugly five animals? The ugly five are the spotted hyena, warthog, blue wildebeest, vultures and marabou stork. The list is informal. No scientific or conservation body keeps it, and the pages that publish it agree on the five groups but not on every detail: some name only the lappet-faced vulture, others mean all the vultures, and some name only the spotted hyena. All five are common on a safari in East Africa, so the Ugly Five is the easiest of the animal "lists" to complete. The wildebeest and warthog are the easiest to see, the spotted hyena is common in the big savanna parks, vultures are everywhere there is a carcass, and the marabou stork is as likely to be on a rubbish tip as in a national park.

The ugly five at a glance

Chapter 01 — What are the ugly five animals?

The ugly five animals are a joke with a serious point. Because the Big Five became the way many visitors measure a safari, the Ugly Five grew up as the other side of the coin: five animals that most people walk past and that, with a little time, become the ones guests talk about longest. The word "ugly" is about human taste, not biology. Every animal on this list is highly adapted, and most of the features that make them look odd (a bare head, tusks, a long face, a cackle) do useful work.

Four of the five entries are single species or a very small group. The fifth, "vultures", is a family. When a lodge says it has the Ugly Five, it usually means a spotted hyena, a common warthog, a blue wildebeest, any vulture and a marabou stork. We use that reading in this guide, and where it matters we name the vulture species.

The list overlaps with other "five" lists. The Big Five are the five animals that guides use to measure a big-game drive, and the Little Five are the elephant shrew, buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise, antlion and rhinoceros beetle. Our guide to Big Five vs Big Nine shows how these lists relate.

Chapter 02 — Where did the term "Ugly Five" come from?

No person, lodge or year is documented as the origin of the term. The pages that publish the list describe it as a nickname used by rangers and guests, and none names who first said it. We say so plainly rather than invent a story. It plainly grew in the shadow of the Big Five, which itself has no recorded coiner, and it is used across Africa, not only in East Africa.

Two things are certain. The list is not official, so you may meet a lodge that swaps in the striped hyena or the lappet-faced vulture on its own. And the term is used affectionately: no one who uses it thinks these animals are unimportant.

Chapter 03 — Ugly Five vs Big Five and Little Five

The three lists differ in what they celebrate.

The Big Five's reputation is about danger and rarity, the Ugly Five's is about character, and the Little Five's is about close looking. They work well together: the Big Five tells your guide what you want, the Ugly Five tells him you want the whole ecosystem, and the Little Five tells him to stop the vehicle for the small things.

Chapter 04 — The spotted hyena

The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is the ugly five's most misunderstood member. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with an estimated 27,000 to 47,000 animals and declines outside protected areas from habitat loss and poaching.

What it is. A hyena is not a dog. Hyenas belong to their own family, Hyaenidae, and the spotted hyena is the largest of four living members. Adults in the Serengeti weigh about 40 to 55 kg for males and 45 to 64 kg for females, so the female is the larger sex. The body slopes from high shoulders to lower hindquarters, and the jaws are strong enough to crack bone, which the animal digests.

A female-led society. Spotted hyena society is matriarchal. Females are larger than males and dominate them, cubs inherit their mother's rank, and males leave the clan at about two and a half years old. Clans can number up to about 80 animals, and Serengeti clans are smaller than those in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Hunter, not only scavenger. The popular picture of the hyena as a scavenger that waits for lions is wrong. A hyena is primarily a hunter that also scavenges. Published estimates put hunting at least half and up to nearly all of its food, with the share taken from other predators varying by place. A hyena chase can reach about 60 km/h and last several kilometres. It uses the whole prey animal: skin, bone and other waste are digested, which makes it the most efficient user of animal matter among African carnivores.

The sounds. The "laugh" is a sound of excitement or stress, not amusement. The long rising "whoop" is a contact call that carries for kilometres at night. You will often hear a hyena before you see one, and a night in a tented camp in the Mara or Serengeti usually includes both.

Where to see it. The Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater are the most reliable places in East Africa. Look near dens (large burrows with bone-littered mounds and cubs in the early morning), along riverbeds at dawn and dusk, and at kills. See Where to see the Big Five for park-by-park odds that also apply to the predators.

Safety. Spotted hyenas in a camp are a reason to follow the rules, not to worry. Zip the tent, keep food out of it, and walk with a torch and an escort at night. Do not feed a hyena. Most lodges have a standing rule about walking after dark, and you should follow it.

Chapter 05 — The warthog

The warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is a wild pig. It is Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2016 assessment), although local populations are vulnerable to drought and hunting.

Size and appearance. A common warthog measures 0.9 to 1.5 m in head-and-body length and about 63 to 85 cm at the shoulder. Females weigh about 45 to 75 kg and males 60 to 150 kg. The "warts" are fleshy pads on the face, and the tusks are canine teeth. The upper pair can reach about 25 cm and curve upward. The lower pair is much shorter and is sharpened as it rubs against the upper pair. Warthog tusks are for defence and fighting, not for digging.

Backing into the burrow. A warthog usually reverses into its burrow, head toward the entrance and ready to burst out. Warthogs do not dig much themselves and often use abandoned aardvark holes. A warthog running with its tail straight up is the animal's signal to its young, and it can reach about 48 km/h.

Food and life. Warthogs eat short grasses in the wet season and roots, bulbs and rhizomes in the dry season. They also take berries, fruit, bark, fungi, insects, eggs and carrion, so "omnivore" is correct. They kneel on their front knees to graze and dig. A litter is usually two to four piglets and can be up to eight, and wild lifespans are about 7 to 11 years.

Where to see it. Almost every savanna park in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. Lake Nakuru National Park has been recorded with a local density of about 77 animals per square kilometre on its short grass, which makes it one of the best places in East Africa to watch a warthog family. In East Africa the common warthog belongs to the Eastern or Central African subspecies, and the separate desert warthog is restricted to northern Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Our Lake Nakuru guide covers the park.

Chapter 06 — The blue wildebeest

The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is the animal behind the Great Migration. It is Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2016 assessment). The species is stable overall, but some migrations have declined sharply, and the best-known of those declines is the Tarangire migration in Tanzania.

Size and appearance. Males weigh 165 to 290 kg and females 140 to 260 kg. Height at the shoulder is about 1.15 to 1.45 m. Both sexes carry curved horns, which reach about 83 cm in males. The "gnu" look comes from the beard, the long face and the sloping back.

Speed and timing. A wildebeest can run at up to about 80 km/h. Mating lasts about three weeks and coincides with the end of the rains, and gestation is about eight and a half months. About 80 to 90 per cent of the calves are born within a three-week period, which swamps predators and is the reason the southern Serengeti calving season is one of the most dramatic times to be there.

Numbers. The Serengeti population is commonly given as about 1.3 million animals. The Mara's own resident wildebeest have not done as well: one published account reports a drop from about 119,000 in 1977 to about 22,000 two decades later, mostly because of agricultural expansion. Read our guide to how the Great Migration works for the annual cycle.

Where to see it. The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is the main place, and the southern Serengeti is the best for calving, usually between late January and March. See our guides to Serengeti calving season, Mara river crossing timing and the Great Migration by month. Wildebeest are also resident in Ngorongoro, Tarangire (seasonally), Amboseli and Nairobi National Park.

Chapter 07 — The vultures

"Vultures" in the Ugly Five means a family, not one species. East Africa has several, and a safari is the best chance most people will get to see them. The species you are most likely to meet are the white-backed vulture, the Rüppell's vulture, the hooded vulture and the lappet-faced vulture.

Why bare heads. A vulture's head is bare because it spends time with its head inside a carcass, where feathers would soak up blood and be difficult to clean. That explanation is common but not formally proven for every species. What is certain is that vultures are among the most efficient carcass-cleaners in Africa, and their stomach acid deals with bacteria that would harm other animals.

The crisis. The vultures are the most threatened members of the Ugly Five. A major study of eight African vulture species found that their numbers fell by an average of 62 per cent over about 30 years, and that seven of the eight were projected to decline by 80 per cent or more over three generations. Of nearly 7,800 recorded deaths in 26 countries, about 61 per cent were from poisoning, 29 per cent from the trade in traditional medicine, 9 per cent from power lines and 1 per cent from killing for food. Poison is often put into carcasses by people targeting lions and hyenas, and vultures that feed on the carcass die with it. In East Africa, road counts in Kenya and Uganda found declines both inside and outside protected areas.

Several of the species are now on the Red List as Critically Endangered: the white-backed, hooded and Rüppell's vultures. The lappet-faced vulture is listed as threatened, and the category has changed between assessments, so check the current Red List page.

Where to see them. Around any carcass in the Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Samburu, and on thermals from mid-morning. Cliffs host Rüppell's colonies in parts of Kenya and Tanzania, and the white-backed vulture nests in the acacias of the Mara and Serengeti plains. Vultures are also a main reason birders add the savanna parks to a list: see our East Africa birding safari guide.

What to do. Ask your guide to stop when vultures drop out of the sky. A kill or a dead animal is a good chance to compare species and see the pecking order. Never visit a carcass if rangers have told you not to, as poisoned carcasses are a real risk.

Chapter 08 — The marabou stork

The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is the only stork on the list and the bird visitors most often call "ugly". It is Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Size. The wingspan typically measures 2.25 to 2.87 m, and the bird stands about 1.2 to 1.5 m tall. It weighs about 4.5 to 8 kg, and large birds can reach 9 kg.

The head and the pouch. The bare head and neck are usually explained as an adaptation for feeding at carcasses, as with vultures. The pink pouch at the throat is used in the clattering, bill-rattling courtship displays.

What it eats. Marabou storks eat mainly carrion and scraps but will take almost any animal they can swallow, including fish, frogs, insects, eggs, small mammals, reptiles, snakes and sometimes other birds. Around vultures they wait for the birds to finish or steal food from them. Around towns and dumps they eat human rubbish.

Colonies. Marabous breed in colonies, building stick nests in trees, often in the dry season, and lay two or three eggs. In East Africa the species breeds in urban areas, so you are as likely to see one over a town as over a park. They are a common sight over Kampala and at Lake Victoria landing sites, and our Kampala travel guide covers the city. Wild lifespans are about 25 years.

Where to see it. Towns and lake landings in Uganda and Kenya; carcasses and wetlands in the Mara and Serengeti.

Chapter 09 — Why the ugly five matter

The Ugly Five are the clean-up crew, the herd and the engine of the ecosystem.

• Vultures and marabous clear carcasses and keep disease from spreading. A drop in vulture numbers changes who feeds on carrion, and that includes dogs and other animals that spread disease.
• Hyenas are major predators and regulators of herds, and they pass energy from bone to the soil.
• Wildebeest shape the grass: their grazing keeps the plains short and feeds the whole food chain, and their dung and carcasses feed the soil.
• Warthogs keep grass short, provide food for lions and leopards, and their burrows shelter other animals.

If you protect the big cats and ignore these five, the ecosystem loses its clean-up crew. This is why guides who care about conservation are happy to spend time on a vulture. See our responsible and sustainable safari travel guide.

Chapter 10 — Where to see the ugly five in East Africa

The best itinerary for the whole list is a Mara and Serengeti trip: see our Kenya and Tanzania safaris and the classic Serengeti and Ngorongoro safari. For a Uganda trip, our Uganda parks guide shows where each fits.

Chapter 11 — How guides find the ugly five

• Vultures: watch the sky. A circling column means a carcass, and birds dropping from several directions means a fresh kill. Mid-morning thermals are when vultures take off.
• Hyenas: look at dawn, dusk and night. Dens are mounds with bone fragments and wide burrows, and the cubs come out in the early morning.
• Warthogs: every game drive. Watch a family trot with their tails up.
• Wildebeest: the herds are the easiest to find. Ask where the herds are on the day you travel.
• Marabou storks: towns, lake landings, rubbish sites and carcasses.

Night drives and walking safaris, where allowed, add hyenas and other nocturnal animals: see our night drives and walking safaris guide.

Chapter 12 — Photographing the ugly five

• Hyenas: use a fast shutter at dawn and dusk, and expose for the animal, not the sky. Cubs at a den are the best subject.
• Vultures: use a shutter speed of 1/2000 or faster for birds in flight, and shoot from slightly below for the wing.
• Marabous: use the bare head and pouch in close-ups, and shoot a group on a rooftop or tree for scale.
• Warthogs: shoot at eye level and catch the tail-up run.
• Wildebeest: a wide lens for a herd, a long lens for a calf.

Good light is early and late, and a bean bag on the window ledge steadies a long lens. See our packing list for camera kit.

Chapter 13 — Conservation and responsible viewing

• Never feed hyenas, marabous or warthogs. It changes their behaviour and puts them at risk.
• Stay in the vehicle near hyena dens and keep your distance.
• Report poisoned carcasses to rangers and do not touch them.
• Choose operators who follow park rules on distance and time at sightings.
• Support vulture conservation: vultures are the most threatened members of the Ugly Five, and their survival depends on stopping poison in carcasses.

Read about the wider picture in our Kenya wildlife and biodiversity guide.

Chapter 14 — Ugly Five myths and mistakes

• "Hyenas only scavenge." They are active hunters and take much of their own food.
• "Hyenas are dogs." They are in their own family, closer to the cat side of the carnivores.
• "Hyenas change sex." They do not. Females have masculinised genitals, which is a different thing.
• "Warthogs dig with their tusks." They do not dig much, and tusks are for defence and fights.
• "Vultures are dirty." They are among the cleanest and most useful animals in the ecosystem.
• "The Ugly Five is official." It is a nickname, and lists vary.
• "Wildebeest are stupid." They are adapted to move huge distances and calve in synchrony, which is highly effective.

Chapter 15 — The Ugly Five for kids

Children often prefer the Ugly Five to the Big Five because they are easy to find and a little silly. A scorecard works well: one point for each animal, a bonus for a hyena den, ten for a warthog family running with tails up. Our best age for a family safari and family-friendly safari camps guides cover what suits which age.

Our verdict

The Ugly Five is a nickname, but it is a useful one. It tells a guide that you want to watch the whole ecosystem, not only the cats, and it rewards a few extra minutes at every sighting. The hyena is the one to give time to, the vultures are the ones to worry about, and the wildebeest and warthog make the easy wins. If you would like a safari that treats every animal as worth watching, tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will build the route around it.