Animal Planet :: Rhino Revealed

Rhino Range:
The black rhino was once widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, about 10 degrees north of the tip of South Africa. Their current range has been severely reduced to reserves in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia and South Africa.

Black Rhinoceros
Diceros bicornis

The black rhino has suffered one of the most dramatic declines of all species in the past 15 years. In the 1970s, with a population of 15,000, they were the most numerous of all rhino species. Then they were periodically wiped out in most of central Africa, suffering an 85 percent decline. Today, their numbers have stabilized at 2,520.

Black rhinos are not actually black at all but a dark gray. Their name may have come from the dark-colored soil of the African savanna, where they live.

They weigh from 1,750 to 3,000 pounds and stand up to 5.5 feet in height. They have two horns, the larger of which can grow up to 4 feet long.

The black rhino holds its head up as it walks, unlike the African white rhino, which is always watching the ground. Another difference between the two African species is the black rhino's prehensile lower lip, which is used like a finger to pick and select leaves and twigs.

The black rhino has a reputation for being antisocial, but recent evidence shows that adult females share overlapping ranges. Males, however, are usually solitary and very territorial.

Sexually, females mature from 4 to 7 years of age and give birth every two to four years. Males mature slightly later at 7 to 10 years. The gestation period lasts up to 16 months.