Black Rhinoceros

[Diceros bicornis]

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Quick Facts

 

Length: 10 to 12 feet

Height: 4.5 to 5.5 feet

Weight: 1,750 to 3,000 pounds

Range: Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe

Diet: Black rhinos are herbivores and typically eat leaves and woody plants, and drink lots of water.

Despite its name, this animal is actually gray in color, matching the mud the rhino chooses to roll in.

About Black Rhinos

Black rhinoceroses communicate their territory with other animals by scent marking, grunting, and snorting. The two horns of the black rhinoceros are made entirely of hardened hair. Rhinos can’t see very well, and anything farther than 35 feet away from the rhino appears blurry. To make up for this poor eyesight, rhinos have an excellent sense of hearing.

Female rhinos give birth to a single calf after a 15-month gestation. Babies stay with their mothers until two or three years of age, which is when the mother will typically have another calf.

This animal is an endangered species because of poaching. Rhino horns are used for dagger handles and traditional medicines, although there is no scientific evidence that the horn has any medicinal powers.

Location in the Zoo: African Savanna

Schedule: On exhibit in warm weather only