Large herbivores can be loosely separable into two types of feeding behaviour. They’re not actually blackĪlthough the black rhinoceros is referred to as ‘black’, its colours actually vary from brown to grey. They are closer in size to the Javan rhino.Ī huge amount of money is being fed into their protection, but unfortunately, a whole lot more is being made on their exploitation. While huge in size, the black rhino is smaller than the white rhino, which is the largest of all rhino species. They’re phenomenally powerful and aggressive animals and can grow to 3.8m (12.5ft) in length and weigh as much as 2,900 kg. Black rhino are herbivorous and like to diet on over 30 species of leafy plants, as well as branches, roots and fruit. These animals diverged from their white cousins around 4 million years ago and took to browsing branches with their well-adapted lips.

Males are known as bulls, while females are known as cows. They are solitary creatures, only coming together when mating, or when a mother is raising her calf. The variation of black rhino is of some debate by researchers, but there’s generally accepted to be between 7-8 subspecies, with 3 sadly already extinct. Sadly, they’re hard to find nowadays, on account of being hunted almost to near extinction for their protective horn. The black rhino is one of five species of rhinoceros still living today that are native to Eastern and Southern Africa.īlack rhinos are cute and playful when they want to be, but they can pack a serious punch. Of the two, the black rhino is significantly more threatened with extinction. The iconic Loxodonta elephants, the bizarre and elongated giraffes, and the quietly declining black and white rhinos. Of all the giant African mammals that roamed the plains, a mere handful remain.

Black rhino habitat