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Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis)
THE HERBIVORES AND OMNIVORES
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The Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis; also colloquially, Black Rhino) is a mammal in the order Perissodactyla, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Like all species of rhinoceros, it is on the endangered species list due to excessive poaching for their horns, which are mostly used in dagger handles as a symbol of wealth in many countries, and as a febrifuge in Chinese traditional medicine. Contrary to popular opinion, only small amounts of the horns are consumed as an aphrodisiac.
The name of the species was chosen to distinguish it from the White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). This is very misleading, as those two species are not really distinguishable by color. The word "White" in the name "White Rhinoceros" deriving from the Afrikaans word for "wide" rather than the colour white.
The Black Rhinoceros is much smaller than the White Rhinoceros, and has a pointed, prehensile upper lip, which they use to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding. White Rhinoceros have square lips used for grazing grass. The Black Rhinoceros can also be recognized from the White Rhinoceros by its smaller skull and ears and its more pronounced forehead. Black Rhinoceros also do not have a distinguishing shoulder hump like the White Rhinoceros.
The adults are solitary in nature, coming together only for mating. Mating does not have a seasonal pattern but births tend to be towards the end of the rainy season in drier environments. The gestation period is 15–16 months; the single calf weighs about 35–50 kg at birth, and can follow its mother around after just three days. The mother and calf stay together for 2–3 years until the next calf is born; female calves may stay longer, forming small groups. The young are occasionally taken by hyenas and lions. Sexual maturity is reached from 5 years old for females, from 7 years for males, and the life expectancy in natural conditions (without poaching pressure) is from 35–50 years.
Reference
From www.Wikipedia.org, the free encyclopedia
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