Fascinating facts
Black rhinos are unpredictable and dangerous, and can move at speeds up to 40 miles per hour for short distances! Like horses, rhinos run and walk on their toes.
Physical Characteristics
An adult black rhinoceros can weigh up to 3,000 pounds with a body length of 10 to 12.5 feet. A thick, wrinkled, tough hide protects the rhino as it pushes its way through the thorny acacia trees and bushes it likes to eat. The rhino uses its prehensile (grasping) upper lip to strip nutritious leaves off tough branches.The black rhinoceros is distinguished by two large horns on its nose, the front one being the largest. These horns can measure up to 50 inches in length and are made of hardened compressed hair-like fibers on a bony base. They have small eyes and are extremely nearsighted, making the rhino dangerous and unpredictable, and likely to charge unfamiliar sounds and smells. However, their excellent sense of smell gives them information about their surroundings and helps them detect danger. They have prominent, erect ears that can swivel to pick up even the quietest sounds.
Life span is 16-20 years in the wild.
Habitat/Diet
Black rhinoceros range in eastern and southern parts of Africa (South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe), inhabiting bushy plains, dense brush, open forests, grassy plains and sometimes semi-arid regions. Nearby watering places are essential.Black rhinos are herbivores and are browsers, not grazers. In the wild, they eat bushes and shrubs, preferring acacia, twigs and new growth. At the Zoo, the rhinos are fed a diet of alfalfa, hay, fruits, vegetables, browse and acacia.
Social Behavior
Black rhinos are solitary animals, only coming together to mate. (By contrast, the more gregarious white rhinos only breed successfully when there are small groups). The most lasting bond is between female and their young, the calf staying with the mother for about four years. Rhinos are often accompanied by tick birds and cattle egrets, which feed on insects stirred up by the rhinos’ feet.These rhinos feed morning and evening and sleep in the shade or in a wallow during the hot part of the day. Wallowing in mud helps to keep them cool, and gives them protection from flies and biting insects. They may sleep standing or lying down.
Status in The Wild
Black rhinos are Critically Endangered. Before 1960, the population of black rhinos throughout the eastern and southern parts of Africa was approximately 200,000. Due to large-scale poaching, 95% of the rhinos in existence have now been killed. There are 4,880 black rhinos alive today and most of those are protected by armed guards.Rhinoceros horns are valued by some cultures for folk medicines and for decorative dagger handles. As a result, the black rhino has been hunted nearly to extinction. Although big cats can prey on young rhinos, the adult animal has only one enemy: humans. Rhinoceros populations have also come under pressure as a consequence of bush clearing for agriculture and firewood.
Flickr Tags: Black Rihnos
