Such a skull is known to have existed and Linnaeus even mentioned India as origin of this species. There is some confusion about what exactly Linnaeus conceived under this name as this species was probably based upon the skull of a single-horned Indian rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis), with a second horn artificially added by the collector. The name means "double-horned rhinoceros". The species was first named Rhinoceros bicornis by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema naturae in 1758. The IUCN estimates that there are 3,142 mature individuals remaining in the wild. Three subspecies have been declared extinct, including the western black rhinoceros, which was declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2011. The species overall is classified as critically endangered (even though the south-western black rhinoceros is classified as near threatened) and is threatened by multiple factors including poaching and habitat reduction. These species are now sometimes referred to as the square-lipped (for white) or hook-lipped (for black) rhinoceros. The word "white" in the name "white rhinoceros" is often said to be a misinterpretation of the Afrikaans word wyd ( Dutch wijd) meaning wide, referring to its square upper lip, as opposed to the pointed or hooked lip of the black rhinoceros. The other African rhinoceros is the white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum). It is the only extant species of the genus Diceros. Although the species is referred to as black, its colours vary from brown to grey. The black rhinoceros, black rhino or hook-lipped rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis) is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern and southern Africa including Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Historic Natural Range: Southern and Eastern Africa (from Namibia, through Zambia up to Ethiopia, and all countries to the East) and in a East to west running belt from Ethiopia to Guinea (Southern edge of Sahara)Ĭurrent Range: In several National Parks primarily located in Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania & Kenya.īlack Rhinos are browsers and primarily feed on leafy plants, branches & shootsīlack Rhinos are known to eat up to 220 different species of plant.īlack Rhinos can live up to 5 days without water.Extant & Assisted Colonisation (resident) Habitat: grasslands, savannahs and tropical bush land. Through the past 200 years (until 1998), there have been 775 animals recorded in zoos, of which 292 were born in captivity Pre 20th century numbers: several hundred thousand.Ĭurrent numbers in captivity: At the end of 2004, there were 277 black rhinos in captivity. Gestation period: around 15 to 16 months.īirth intervals per calf: 2.5 to 4 years. Home range size dependent on habitat, sex and age and varies greatlyīlack Rhinos browse for food in the morning and evening and sleep or wallow during the hottest part of the day. Males are mainly solitary and probably territorial.įemale home ranges overlap and are less solitary The oldest recorded animal lived 44 years 9 months in a zoo.Ĭharacteristics: pointed hooked upper lip (prehensile lip)īlack Rhinos are usually portrayed as the most aggressive of all Rhino Species Anterior Horn length: 1 ft 8 in – 4 ft 4 in
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