100-489: Ceratotherium Dicerorhinus Diceros Rhinoceros † Coelodonta † Stephanorhinus † Elasmotherium Fossil genera, see text A rhinoceros ( / r aɪ ˈ n ɒ s ər ə s / ry- NOSS -ə-rəss ; from Ancient Greek ῥινόκερως ( rhinókerōs ) 'nose-horned'; from ῥίς ( rhis ) 'nose' and κέρας ( kéras ) 'horn'; pl. : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses ), commonly abbreviated to rhino ,
200-435: A herbivorous diet, small brains 400–600 g (14–21 oz) for mammals of their size, one or two horns, and a thick 1.5–5 cm (0.59–1.97 in), protective skin formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure. They generally eat leafy material, although their ability to ferment food in their hindgut allows them to subsist on more fibrous plant matter when necessary. Unlike other perissodactyls ,
300-418: A black rhino is 15 months. The single calf weighs about 35–50 kilograms (80–110 lb) at birth, and can follow its mother around after just three days. Weaning occurs at around 2 years of age for the offspring. 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
400-767: A calf. In the Serengeti home ranges are around 70 to 100 km (27 to 39 sq mi), while in the Ngorongoro it is between 2.6 to 58.0 km (1.0 to 22.4 sq mi). Black rhinos have also been observed to have a certain area they tend to visit and rest frequently called "houses" which are usually on a high ground level. These "home" ranges can vary from 2.6 km to 133 km with smaller home ranges having more abundant resources than larger home ranges. Black rhinos in captivity and reservations sleep patterns have been recently studied to show that males sleep longer on average than females by nearly double
500-801: A few pairs in Uttar Pradesh ) and Nepal, plus a pair in Lal Suhanra National Park in Pakistan reintroduced there from Nepal. They are confined to the tall grasslands and forests in the foothills of the Himalayas . Two-thirds of the world's Indian rhinoceroses are now confined to the Kaziranga National Park situated in the Golaghat district of Assam , India. The Javan rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros sondaicus )
600-452: A germinative layer. Rhinoceros horns are used in traditional medicines in parts of Asia, and for dagger handles in Yemen and Oman. Esmond Bradley Martin has reported on the trade for dagger handles in Yemen. In Europe, it was historically believed that rhino horns could purify water and could detect poisoned liquids, and likely believed to be an aphrodisiac and an antidote to poison. It
700-419: A life-saving medicine. Ceratotherium For others, see text Ceratotherium (Greek: "horn" (keratos), "beast" (therion) ) is a genus of the family Rhinocerotidae , consisting of a single extant species, the white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum ), as well as several fossil species. Ceratotherium is more closely related to the genus Diceros (which contains the black rhinoceros ) than it
800-676: A mother and her calf. In addition, bulls and cows have a consort relationship during mating, also subadults and young adults frequently form loose associations with older individuals of either sex. They are not very territorial and often intersect other rhino territories. Home ranges vary depending on season and the availability of food and water. Generally they have smaller home ranges and larger density in habitats that have plenty of food and water available, and vice versa if resources are not readily available. Sex and age of an individual black rhino influence home range and size, with ranges of cows larger than those of bulls, especially when accompanied by
900-547: A permit to hunt a black rhinoceros in Namibia sold for $ 350,000 at a fundraiser hosted by the Dallas Safari Club. The auction drew considerable criticism as well as death threats directed towards members of the club and the man who purchased the permit. This permit was issued for 1 of 18 black rhinoceros specifically identified by Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism as being past breeding age and considered
1000-677: A preference for Acacia species, as well as plants in the family Euphorbiaceae . In accordance with their feeding habit, adaptations of the chewing apparatus have been described for rhinos. The black rhinoceros has a two phased chewing activity with a cutting ectoloph and more grinding lophs on the lingual side. The black rhinoceros can also be considered a more challenging herbivore to feed in captivity compared to its grazing relatives. They can live up to 5 days without water during drought. Black rhinos live in several habitats including bushlands, Riverine woodland, marshes, and their least favorable, grasslands. Habitat preferences are shown in two ways,
1100-463: A problem when placed in captivity. These rhinoceroses can overload on iron, which leads to build up in the lungs, liver, spleen and small intestine. Not only do these rhinoceros face threats being in the wild, but in captivity too. Black rhinoceros have become more susceptible to disease in captivity with high rates of mortality. Illegal poaching for the international rhino horn trade is the main and most detrimental threat. The killing of these animals
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#17327651014301200-400: A seasonal pattern but births tend to be towards the end of the rainy season in more arid environments. When in season the cows will mark dung piles. Bulls will follow cows when they are in season; when she defecates he will scrape and spread the dung, making it more difficult for rival adult bulls to pick up her scent trail. Courtship behaviors before mating include snorting and sparring with
1300-465: A single horn 20 to 60 cm long. It is nearly as large as the African white rhino. Its thick, silver-brown skin folds into the shoulder, back, and rump, giving it an armored appearance. Its upper legs and shoulders are covered in wart -like bumps, and it has very little body hair. Grown males are larger than females in the wild, weighing from 2,500–3,200 kg (5,500–7,100 lb). Shoulder height
1400-483: A subspecies of the white rhinoceros or assigned these remains to other species like C. mauritanicum. The species ' Ceratotherium’ advenientis is known from the Late Miocene of southern Italy (when it was still part of Africa). The species " Ceratotherium" douariense , known from the late Miocene of Tunisia, dating to around 7 million years ago, has been assigned to the genus by some authors. Its genus placement
1500-514: A third, smaller horn may develop. These horns are used for defense, intimidation, and digging up roots and breaking branches during feeding. The black rhino is smaller than the white rhino and close in size to the Javan rhino of Indonesia. It has a pointed and prehensile upper lip, which it uses to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding, whereas the white rhinoceros has square lips used for eating grass. The black rhinoceros can also be distinguished from
1600-522: A threat to younger rhinos. The $ 350,000 that the hunter paid for the permit was used by the Namibian government to fund anti-poaching efforts in the country. In 2022 South Africa granted permits to hunt 10 black rhinos, stating that the population is growing. Today, there are various threats posed to black rhinos including habitat changes, illegal poaching, and competing species. Civil disturbances, such as war, have made mentionably negative effects on
1700-551: A wave of extinctions in the middle Oligocene wiped out most of the smaller species. Several independent lineages survived. Menoceras , a pig-sized rhinoceros, had two horns side by side. The North American Teleoceras had short legs, a barrel chest and lived until about five million years ago. The last rhinos in the Americas became extinct during the Pliocene . Modern rhinos are thought to have begun dispersal from Asia during
1800-429: A wider variety of foraging capacity, while the black rhinoceros primarily sticks to dwarf shrubs. The black rhinoceros has been found to eat grass as well; however, the shortening of its range of available food could be potentially problematic. Black rhinos face problems associated with the minerals they ingest. They have become adjusted to ingesting less iron in the wild due to their evolutionary progression, which poses
1900-466: Is 1.75–2.0 m (5.7–6.6 ft). Females weigh about 1,900 kg (4,200 lb) and are 3–4 m (9.8–13 ft) long. The record-sized specimen was approximately 4,000 kg (8,800 lb). Indian rhinos once inhabited many areas ranging from Pakistan to Myanmar and maybe even parts of China. Because of humans, they now exist in only several protected areas of India (in Assam , West Bengal, and
2000-402: Is 1.8–2 m (5.9–6.6 ft). On its snout it has two horns . The front horn is larger than the other horn and averages 90 cm (35 in) in length and can reach 150 cm (59 in). The white rhinoceros also has a prominent muscular hump that supports its relatively large head. The colour of this animal can range from yellowish brown to slate grey. Most of its body hair is found on
2100-505: Is a common misconception that rhinoceros horn in powdered form is used as an aphrodisiac or a cure for cancer in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as Cornu Rhinoceri Asiatici (犀角, xījiǎo , "rhinoceros horn"); no TCM text in history has ever mentioned such prescriptions. In TCM, rhino horn is sometimes prescribed for fevers and convulsions, a treatment not supported by evidence-based medicine : this treatment has been compared to consuming fingernail clippings in water. In 1993, China signed
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#17327651014302200-439: Is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae ; it can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species of the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea . Two of the extant species are native to Africa, and three to South and Southeast Asia. Rhinoceroses are some of the largest remaining megafauna : all weigh at least one tonne in adulthood. They have
2300-637: Is also used by the IUCN , listing three surviving subspecies and recognizing D. b. brucii and D. b. longipes as extinct. The most important difference to the above scheme is the inclusion of the extant southwestern subspecies from Namibia in D. b. bicornis instead of in its own subspecies, whereupon the nominal subspecies is considered extant. The rhinoceros originated in the Eocene about fifty million years ago alongside other members of Perissodactyla . The last common ancestor of living rhinoceroses belonging to
2400-518: Is bought by wealthy consumers to use in traditional Chinese medicine , among other uses. Rhino horns are made of keratin , the same material as hair and fingernails , and there is no good evidence of any health benefits. A market also exists for rhino horn dagger handles in Yemen, which was the major source of demand for rhino horn in the 1970s and 1980s. Ceratotherium simum Diceros bicornis Dicerorhinus sumatrensis Rhinoceros sondaicus Rhinoceros unicornis The word rhinoceros
2500-528: 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. 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 IUCN estimates that 3,142 mature individuals remain in
2600-592: Is derived through Latin from the Ancient Greek : ῥινόκερως , which is composed of ῥινο- ( rhino- , "of the nose") and κέρας ( keras , " horn ") with a horn on the nose. The name has been in use since the 14th century. The family Rhinocerotidae consists of only four extant genera: Ceratotherium (white rhinoceros), Diceros (black rhinoceros), Dicerorhinus (Sumatran rhinoceros), and Rhinoceros (Indian and Javan rhinoceros). The living species fall into three categories. The two African species,
2700-577: Is disputed, with other authors placing the species in the genus Diceros as Diceros douariensis. The species Ceratotherium? primaevum has been reported from Algeria dating to around 10 million years ago, with other possible remains reported from East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya). The earliest remains of the white rhinoceros date to the Early Pleistocene in East Africa, around 1-2 million years ago, depending on what remains are included in
2800-536: Is not unique to modern-day society. The Chinese have maintained reliable documents of these happenings dating back to 1200 B.C. The ancient Chinese often hunted rhino horn for the making of wine cups, as well as the rhino's skin to manufacture imperial crowns, belts and armor for soldiers. A major market for rhino horn has historically been in the Middle East nations to make ornately carved handles for ceremonial daggers called jambiyas . Demand for these exploded in
2900-438: Is now considered a member of the related genus Diceros because of the type material probably belongs to this genus, though other material historically assigned to this species likely represents true Ceratotherium . The placement of "Ceratotherium" neumayri from the Late Miocene of Europe and Western Asia within the genus has been questioned, with it possibly more closely related to the black rhinoceros or ancestral to both
3000-1022: Is often used to identify themselves to other black rhinos. Urine spraying occurs on trees and bushes, around water holes and feeding areas. Cows urine spray more often when receptive for breeding. Defecation sometimes occurs in the same spot used by different black rhinos, such as around feeding stations and watering tracks. Coming upon these spots, rhinos will smell to see who is in the area and add their own marking. When presented with adult feces, bulls and cows respond differently than when they are presented with subadult feces. The urine and feces of one black rhinoceros helps other black rhinoceroses to determine its age, sex, and identity. Less commonly they will rub their heads or horns against tree trunks to scent-mark. The black rhino has powerful tube-shaped ears that can freely rotate in all directions. This highly developed sense of hearing allows black rhinos to detect sound over vast distances. The adults are solitary in nature, coming together only for mating. Mating does not have
3100-560: Is one of the most endangered large mammals in the world. According to 2015 estimates, only about 60 remain, in Java, Indonesia, all in the wild. It is also the least known rhino species. Like the closely related, and larger, Indian rhinoceros , the Javan rhino has a single horn. Its hairless, hazy gray skin falls into folds into the shoulder, back, and rump, giving it an armored appearance. Its length reaches 3.1–3.2 m (10–10 ft) including
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3200-515: Is reached from 5 to 7 years old for females, and 7 to 8 years for males. The life expectancy in natural conditions (without poaching pressure) is from 35 to 50 years. For most of the 20th century the continental black rhino was the most numerous of all rhino species. Around 1900 there were probably several hundred thousand living in Africa. During the latter half of the 20th century their numbers were severely reduced from an estimated 70,000 in
3300-734: Is reported of Zimbabwe, while Nepal has largely avoided the crisis. Poachers have become more sophisticated. South African officials have called for urgent action against poaching after poachers killed the last female rhino in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve near Johannesburg . Statistics from South African National Parks show that 333 rhinoceroses were killed in South Africa in 2010, increasing to 668 by 2012, over 1,004 in 2013, and over 1,338 killed in 2015. In some cases rhinos are tranquilized and their horns removed leaving them to bleed to death, while in other instances more than
3400-402: Is the southern white rhinoceros , whose numbers now are estimated around 14,500, up from fewer than 50 in the first decade of the 20th century. But there seems to be hope for the black rhinoceros in recovering their gametes from dead rhinos in captivity. This shows promising results for producing black rhinoceros embryos, which can be used for testing sperm in vitro. A January 2014 auction for
3500-508: Is the white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum ). 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. These species are now sometimes referred to as the square-lipped (for white) or hook-lipped (for black) rhinoceros. The species overall
3600-556: Is the smallest extant rhinoceros species, as well as the one with the most hair. It can be found at very high altitudes in Borneo and Sumatra . Because of habitat loss and poaching , their numbers have declined, and it has become the second most threatened rhinoceros. About 275 Sumatran rhinos are believed to remain. There are three subspecies of Sumatran rhinoceros: the Sumatran rhinoceros proper ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis ),
3700-607: Is to other living rhinoceroses, with the clade containing the two comprising the tribe Dicerotini (also spelled Diceroti) or subtribe Dicerotina. An extinct relative Ceratotherium mauritanicum , is known from the Pleistocene of North Africa and possibly the Pliocene of East Africa. Some authors have alternatively assigned the Pliocene East African remains to the species Ceratotherium efficax. Some authors have considered Ceratotherium mauritanicum to be
3800-649: The Akagera National Park in Rwanda. The park had around 50 rhinos in the 1970s but the numbers dwindled to zero by 2007. In September 2017, the birth of a calf raised the population to 19. The park has dedicated rhino monitoring teams to protect the animals from poaching. In October 2017, The governments of Chad and South Africa reached an agreement to transfer six black rhinos from South Africa to Zakouma National Park in Chad. Once established, this will be
3900-544: The Bornean rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni ) and the possibly extinct Northern Sumatran rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotis ). A mature rhino typically stands about 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) high at the shoulder, has a length of 2.4–3.2 m (7 ft 10 in – 10 ft 6 in) and weighs around 700 kg (1,500 lb), though the largest individuals have been known to weigh as much as 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). Like
4000-680: The CITES treaty and removed rhinoceros horn from the Chinese medicine pharmacopeia , administered by the Ministry of Health. In 2011, the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine in the United Kingdom issued a formal statement condemning the use of rhinoceros horn. A growing number of TCM educators are also speaking out against the practice, although some TCM practitioners still believe that it is
4100-717: The Eastern Desert of southeastern Egypt relatively convincingly show the occurrence of black rhinos in these areas in prehistoric times. The natural range of the black rhino included most of southern and eastern Africa, except the Congo Basin , the tropical rainforest areas along the Bight of Benin , the Ethiopian Highlands , and the Horn of Africa . Its former native occurrence in the extremely dry parts of
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4200-727: The Indian rhinoceros and the Javan rhinoceros , which diverged from one another about 10 million years ago. The Sumatran rhinoceros is the only surviving representative of the Dicerorhinini. A subspecific hybrid white rhino ( Ceratotherium s. simum × C. s. cottoni ) was bred at the Dvůr Králové Zoo (Zoological Garden Dvur Kralove nad Labem) in the Czech Republic in 1977. Interspecific hybridisation of black and white rhinoceroses has also been confirmed. While
4300-532: The Kalahari Desert of southwestern Botswana and northwestern South Africa is uncertain. It was abundant in an area stretching from Eritrea and Sudan through South Sudan to southeastern Niger , especially around Lake Chad . Its occurrence further to the west is questionable, although this is often claimed in literature. Today it is found only in protected nature reserves , having vanished from many countries in which it once thrived, especially in
4400-937: The Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene , with the oldest definitive record at the Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary c. 2.5 million years ago at Koobi Fora , Kenya. A cladogram showing the relationships of recent and Late Pleistocene rhinoceros species (minus Stephanorhinus hemitoechus) based on whole nuclear genomes, after Liu et al., 2021: † Elasmotherium sibiricum White rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum ) Black rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis ) † Woolly rhinoceros ( Coelodonta antiquitatis ) † Merck's rhinoceros ( Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis ) Sumatran rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ) Javan rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros sondaicus ) Indian rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis ) An adult black rhinoceros stands 132–180 cm (52–71 in) high at
4500-824: The Miocene . Alongside the extant species, four additional species of rhinoceros survived into the Last Glacial Period : the woolly rhinoceros ( Coelodonta antiquitatis ), Elasmotherium sibiricum and two species of Stephanorhinus , Merck's rhinoceros ( Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis ) and the Narrow-nosed rhinoceros ( Stephanorhinus hemitoechus) . The woolly rhinoceros appeared in China around 1 million years ago and first arrived in Europe around 600,000 years ago. It reappeared 200,000 years ago, alongside
4600-423: The hook-lipped rhinoceros , is a species of rhinoceros , native to eastern Africa and southern Africa , including Angola , Botswana , Kenya , Malawi , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Eswatini , Tanzania , Zambia , and Zimbabwe . Although the species is referred to as black , its colours vary from brown to grey. It is the only extant species of the genus Diceros . The other African rhinoceros
4700-476: The white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros , belong to the tribe Dicerotini, which originated in the middle Miocene , about 14.2 million years ago. The species diverged during the early Pliocene (about 5 million years ago). The main difference between black and white rhinos is the shape of their mouths – white rhinos have broad flat lips for grazing, whereas black rhinos have long pointed lips for eating foliage. There are two living Rhinocerotini species,
4800-430: The woolly mammoth , and became numerous. Elasmotherium was two meters tall, five meters long and weighed around five tons, with a single enormous horn, hypsodont teeth and long legs for running. The latest known well dated bones of Elasmotherium in found in the south of Western Siberia (the area that is today Kazakhstan) date as recently as 39,000 years ago. The origin of the two living African rhinos can be traced to
4900-648: The 1930s they were nearly hunted to extinction in Nepal, India, Burma, Peninsular Malaysia , and Sumatra for the supposed medical powers of their horns and blood. As of 2015, only 58–61 individuals remain in Ujung Kulon National Park , Java, Indonesia. The last known Javan rhino in Vietnam was reportedly killed for its horn in 2011 by Vietnamese poachers. Now only Java contains the last Javan rhinos. The Sumatran rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis )
5000-526: The 1970s, causing the black rhinoceros population to decline 96% between 1970 and 1992. The horn is also used in traditional Chinese medicine , and is said by herbalists to be able to revive comatose patients, facilitate exorcisms and various methods of detoxification, and cure fevers. It is also hunted for the Chinese superstitious belief that the horns allow direct access to Heaven due to their unique location and hollow nature. The purported effectiveness of
5100-416: The 20th century, their numbers were severely reduced from an estimated 70,000 in the late 1960s to a record low of 2,410 in 1995. Since then, numbers have been steadily increasing at a continental level with numbers doubling to 4,880 by the end of 2010. As of 2008, the numbers are still 90% lower than three generations ago. The Indian rhinoceros , or greater one-horned rhinoceros, ( Rhinoceros unicornis ) has
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#17327651014305200-477: The African species, it has two horns; the larger is the front (25–79 centimetres (9.8–31.1 in)), with the smaller usually less than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long. Males have much larger horns than the females. Hair can range from dense (the densest hair in young calves) to sparse. The color of these rhinos is reddish brown. The body is short and has stubby legs. The lip is prehensile . Sumatran rhinoceros once were spread across South-east Asia, but now are on
5300-472: The Eurasian species "Ceratotherium" neumayri , but this is disputed . A 2021 genetic analysis estimated the split between the white and black rhinoceros at around 7 million years ago. After this split, the direct ancestor of Diceros bicornis , Diceros praecox was present in the Pliocene of East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania). D. bicornis is suggested to have evolved from this species during
5400-500: The Hyracodontidae, Amynodontidae, Paraceratheriidae and Rhinocerotidae. Hyracodontidae , also known as "running rhinos", showed adaptations for speed, and would have looked more like horses than modern rhinos. The smallest hyracodontids were dog-sized. Hyracodontids spread across Eurasia from the mid-Eocene to early Oligocene. The Amynodontidae, also known as "aquatic rhinos", dispersed across North America and Eurasia , from
5500-585: The Sumatran rhinoceros. To conserve it, they would have to relocate them from small forests to breeding programs that could monitor their breeding success. To boost reproduction, the Malaysian and Indonesian governments could also agree to exchange the gametes of the Sumatran and (smaller) Bornean subspecies. The Indonesian and Malaysian governments have also proposed a single management unit for these two ancient subspecies. Plantations for palm oil have taken out
5600-467: The US and Australia. This method of extracting the horn, known as dehorning, consists of tranquilizing the rhino then sawing the horn almost completely off to decrease initiative for poaching, although the effectiveness of this in reducing poaching is not known and rhino mothers are known to use their horns to fend off predators. The only rhino subspecies that has recovered somewhat from the brink of extinction
5700-562: The actors benefit, but so do the nation states ignoring them as well. Nevertheless, people continue to remove the rhino from its natural environment and allow for a dependence on human beings to save them from endangerment. Parks and reserves have been made for protecting the rhinos with armed guards keeping watch, but even still many poachers get through and harm the rhinos for their horns. Many have considered extracting rhino horns in order to deter poachers from slaughtering these animals or potentially bringing them to other breeding grounds such as
5800-539: The amount of sign found in the different habitats, and the habitat content of home ranges and core areas. Habitat types are also identified based on the composition of dominant plant types in each area. Different subspecies live in different habitats including Vachellia and Senegalia savanna, Euclea bushlands, Albany thickets , and even desert. They browse for food in the morning and evening. They are selective browsers but, studies done in Kenya show that they do add
5900-487: The ancestor of the living white rhinoceros if the Pliocene East African material is included, though others who only include North African material have suggested that it instead represents a distinct offshoot not ancestral to the white rhinoceros. Another species known as Ceratotherium praecox with remains assigned to the species dating to the Late Miocene and Pliocene (around 7-3 million years ago) of East Africa
6000-475: The black rhinoceros has 84 chromosomes (diploid number, 2N, per cell), all other rhinoceros species have 82 chromosomes. Chromosomal polymorphism might lead to varying chromosome counts. For instance, in a study there were three northern white rhinoceroses with 81 chromosomes. There are two subspecies of white rhinoceros: the southern white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum simum ) and the northern white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum cottoni ). As of 2013,
6100-483: The black rhinoceros populations in since the 1960s in countries including, but not limited to, Chad, Cameroon, Rwanda, Mozambique, and Somalia. In the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa, the African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ) is posing slight concern involving the black rhinoceroses who also inhabit the area. Both animals are browsers; however, the elephant's diet consists of
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#17327651014306200-583: The black rhinoceros to shift its diet. The black rhinoceros alters its selectivity with the absence of the elephant. There is some variance in the exact chemical composition of rhinoceros horns. This variation is directly linked to diet and can be used as a means of rhino identification. Horn composition has helped scientists pinpoint the original location of individual rhinos, allowing for law enforcement to more accurately and more frequently identify and penalize poachers. Black rhinos use several forms of communication. Due to their solitary nature, scent marking
6300-489: The black rhinoceros. This is a major flaw because predation should be considered when attributing cause to the poor performance of the black rhinoceros population. In 2002 only ten western black rhinos remained in Cameroon, and in 2006 intensive surveys across its putative range failed to locate any, leading to fears that this subspecies had become extinct. In 2011 the IUCN declared the western black rhino extinct . There
6400-476: The collector. Such a skull is known to have existed and Linnaeus even mentioned India as origin of this species. However he also referred to reports from early travellers about a double-horned rhino in Africa and when it emerged that there is only one, single-horned species of rhino in India, Rhinoceros bicornis was used to refer to the African rhinos (the white rhino only became recognised in 1812). In 1911 this
6500-442: The dry season. The plant species they seem to be most attracted to when not in dry season are the woody plants. There are 18 species of woody plants known to the diet of the black rhinoceros, and 11 species that could possibly be a part of their diet too. Black rhinos also have a tendency to choose food based on quality over quantity, where researchers find more populations in areas where the food has better quality. Black rhinos show
6600-493: The ear fringes and tail bristles, with the rest distributed rather sparsely over the rest of the body. White rhinos have the distinctive flat broad mouth that is used for grazing. The name "black rhinoceros" ( Diceros bicornis ) was chosen to distinguish this species from the white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum ). This can be confusing, as the two species are not truly distinguishable by color. There are four subspecies of black rhino: South-central ( Diceros bicornis minor ),
6700-409: The females being smaller than the males. Two horns on the skull are made of keratin with the larger front horn typically 50 cm (20 in) long, exceptionally up to 140 cm (55 in). Sometimes, a third smaller horn may develop. The black rhino is much smaller than the white rhino , and has a pointed mouth, which it uses to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding. During the latter half of
6800-502: The head, and its height 1.5–1.7 m (4 ft 11 in – 5 ft 7 in). Adults are variously reported to weigh 900–1,400 kg (2,000–3,100 lb) or 1,360–2,000 kg (3,000–4,410 lb). Male horns can reach 26 cm (10 in) in length, while in females they are knobs or altogether absent. These animals prefer dense lowland rain forest, tall grass and reed beds that are plentiful with large floodplains and mud wallows. Though once widespread throughout Asia, by
6900-407: The highest densities. Their diet can reduce the number of woody plants, which may benefit grazers (who focus on leaves and stems of grass), but not competing browsers (who focus on leaves, stems of trees, shrubs or herbs). It has been known to eat up to 220 species of plants. They have a significantly restricted diet with a preference for a few key plant species and a tendency to select leafy species in
7000-450: The highest rates of mortal combat recorded for any mammal: about 50 percent of males and 30 percent of females die from combat-related injuries. Adult rhinos normally have no natural predators, due to their imposing size, thick skin, and deadly horns. However, adult black rhinos have fallen prey to crocodiles in exceptional circumstances. Calves and, very seldom, small sub-adults may be preyed upon by lions as well. Black rhinos follow
7100-485: The horn is taken. The Namibian government has supported the practice of rhino trophy hunting as a way to raise money for conservation. Hunting licenses for five Namibian Black rhinos are auctioned annually, with the money going to the government's Game Products Trust Fund. Some conservationists and members of the public oppose or question this practice. Rhinoceros horns develop from subcutaneous tissues, and are made of keratinous mineralized compartments. The horns root in
7200-405: The horns among males. Another courtship behavior is called bluff and bluster, where the black rhino will snort and swing its head from side to side aggressively before running away repeatedly. Breeding pairs stay together for 2–3 days and sometimes even weeks. They mate several times a day over this time and copulation lasts for a half-hour, or even longer than one hour. The gestation period for
7300-501: The late Eocene to early Oligocene . The amynodontids were hippopotamus -like in their ecology and appearance, inhabiting rivers and lakes, and sharing many of the same adaptations to aquatic life as hippos. The Paraceratheriidae, also known as paraceratheres or indricotheres, originated in the Eocene epoch and lived until the early Miocene . The first paraceratheres were only about the size of large dogs, growing progressively larger in
7400-1004: The late Miocene ( 6 mya ) species Ceratotherium neumayri . The lineages containing the living species diverged by the early Pliocene , when Diceros praecox , the likely ancestor of the black rhinoceros, appears in the fossil record. The black and white rhinoceros remain so closely related that they can still mate and successfully produce offspring. Cladogram showing the relationships of recent and Late Pleistocene rhinoceros species (minus Stephanorhinus hemitoechus) based on whole nuclear genomes, after Liu et al., 2021: † Elasmotherium sibiricum White Rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum ) Black rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis ) † Woolly rhinoceros ( Coelodonta antiquitatis ) † Merck's rhinoceros ( Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis ) Sumatran rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ) Javan rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros sondaicus ) Indian rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis ) † denotes extinct taxa Adult rhinoceroses have no real predators in
7500-549: The late 1960s to only 10,000 to 15,000 in 1981. In the early 1990s the number dipped below 2,500, and in 2004 it was reported that only 2,410 black rhinos remained. According to the International Rhino Foundation —housed in Yulee, Florida at White Oak Conservation , which breeds black rhinos —the total African population had recovered to 4,240 by 2008 (which suggests that the 2004 number was low). By 2009
7600-617: The late Eocene and Oligocene. The largest genus of the family was Paraceratherium , which was more than twice as heavy as a bull African elephant, and was one of the largest land mammals that ever lived. The family of all modern rhinoceroses, the Rhinocerotidae, first appeared in the Late Eocene in Eurasia. The earliest members of Rhinocerotidae were small and numerous; at least 26 genera lived in Eurasia and North America until
7700-539: The living areas and led to the eradication of the rhino in Sumatra. Rhinocerotoids diverged from other perissodactyls by the early Eocene . Fossils of Hyrachyus eximus found in North America date to this period. This small hornless ancestor resembled a tapir or small horse more than a rhino. Four families, sometimes grouped together as the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea , evolved in the late Eocene, namely
7800-504: The most numerous, which once ranged from central Tanzania south through Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to northern and eastern South Africa; South-western ( Diceros bicornis occidentalis ) which are better adapted to the arid and semi-arid savannas of Namibia, southern Angola, western Botswana and western South Africa; East African ( Diceros bicornis michaeli ), primarily in Tanzania; and West African ( Diceros bicornis longipes ) which
7900-408: The northernmost population of the species. The species was wiped out from Chad in the 1970s and is under severe pressure from poaching in South Africa. The agreement calls for South African experts to assess the habitat, local management capabilities, security and the infrastructure before the transfer can take place. Black rhinos are generally thought to be solitary, with the only strong bond between
8000-434: The population of 5,500 was either steady or slowly increasing. In 1992, nine black rhinos were brought from Chete National Park, Zimbabwe to Australia via Cocos Island. After the natural deaths of the males in the group, four males were brought in from United States and have since adapted well to captivity and new climate. Calves and some subadults are preyed on by lions, but predation is rarely taken into account in managing
8100-574: The presence of predators . As with many other components of the African large mammal fauna, black rhinos probably had a wider range in the northern part of the continent in prehistoric times than today. However this seems to have not been as extensive as that of the white rhino. Unquestionable fossil remains have not yet been found in this area and the abundant petroglyphs found across the Sahara desert are often too schematic to unambiguously decide whether they depict black or white rhinos. Petroglyphs from
8200-414: The rhino's square lips, is not supported by linguistic studies. The white rhino has an immense body and large head, a short neck and broad chest. Females weigh 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) and males 2,400 kg (5,300 lb) on average, though exceptional specimens can reportedly weigh up to 4,500 kg (9,900 lb). The head-and-body length is 3.5–4.6 m (11–15 ft) and the shoulder height
8300-673: The same trails that elephants use to get from foraging areas to water holes. They also use smaller trails when they are browsing . They are very fast and can get up to speeds of 55 kilometres per hour (34 mph) running on their toes. While it was assumed all rhinoceros are short-sighted, a study involving black rhinoceros retinas suggests they have better eyesight than previously assumed. Black rhinos are herbivorous browsers that eat leafy plants, twigs, branches, shoots, thorny wood bushes, small trees, legumes, fruit, and grass. The optimum habitat seems to be one consisting of thick scrub and bushland, often with some woodland, which supports
8400-401: The selection material with availability in order to satisfy their nutritional requirements. In the hottest part of the day they are most inactive- resting, sleeping, and wallowing in mud. Wallowing helps cool down body temperature during the day and protects against parasites. When black rhinos browse they use their lips to strip the branches of their leaves. Competition with elephants is causing
8500-553: The shoulder and is 2.8–3.75 m (9.2–12.3 ft) in length. An adult typically weighs from 800 to 1,400 kg (1,760 to 3,090 lb), however unusually large male specimens have been reported at up to 2,896 kg (6,385 lb). The cows are smaller than the bulls. Two horns on the skull are made of keratin with the larger front horn typically 50 cm (20 in) long, exceptionally up to 135.9 cm (53.5 in). The longest known black rhinoceros horn measured nearly 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length. Sometimes
8600-556: The southern subspecies has a wild population of 20,405—making them the most abundant rhino subspecies in the world. The northern subspecies is critically endangered, with all that is known to remain being two captive females. There is no conclusive explanation of the name "white rhinoceros". A popular idea that "white" is a distortion of either the Afrikaans word wyd or the Dutch word wijd (or its other possible spellings whyde , weit , etc.,), meaning "wide" and referring to
8700-505: The species. [REDACTED] This article about an odd-toed ungulate is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis bicornis † Diceros bicornis brucii † Diceros bicornis chobiensis Diceros bicornis ladoensis Diceros bicornis longipes † Diceros bicornis michaeli Diceros bicornis minor Diceros bicornis occidentalis The black rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis ), sometimes also called
8800-493: The subfamily Rhinocerotinae is suggested to have lived around 16 million years ago. The white rhinoceros and black rhinoceros are more closely related to each other than to other living rhinoceroses. Rhinoceroses closely related to the black and the white rhinoceros were present in Africa by the Late Miocene about 10 million years ago, and possibly as early as 17 million years ago. The two species may have descended from
8900-488: The time. Other factors that play a role in their sleeping patterns is the location of where they decide to sleep. Although they do not sleep any longer in captivity, they do sleep at different times due to their location in captivity, or section of the park. Black rhinos have a reputation for being extremely aggressive, and charge readily at perceived threats. They have even been observed to charge tree trunks and termite mounds. Black rhinos will fight each other, and they have
9000-417: The two African species of rhinoceros lack teeth at the front of their mouths; they rely instead on their lips to pluck food. Rhinoceroses are killed by poachers for their horns , which are bought and sold on the black market for high prices, leading to most living rhinoceros species being considered endangered. The contemporary market for rhino horn is overwhelmingly driven by China and Vietnam , where it
9100-525: The verge of extinction, confined to several parts of Indonesia and Malaysia by reproductive isolation. There were 320 D. sumatrensis in 1995, which, by 2011, had dwindled to 216. It has been found through DNA comparison that the Sumatran rhinoceros is the most ancient extant rhinoceros and related to the extinct Eurasian woolly rhino species, Coelodonta . In 1994 Alan Rabinowitz publicly denounced governments, non-governmental organizations, and other institutions for lacking in their attempts to conserve
9200-576: The west and north of its former range. The remaining populations are highly scattered. Some specimens have been relocated from their habitat to better protected locations, sometimes across national frontiers. The black rhino has been successfully reintroduced to Malawi since 1993, where it became extinct in 1990. Similarly it was reintroduced to Zambia ( North Luangwa National Park ) in 2008, where it had become extinct in 1998, and to Botswana (extinct in 1992, reintroduced in 2003). In May 2017, 18 eastern black rhinos were translocated from South Africa to
9300-427: The white and black rhinoceros, or an early offshoot away from these two species, with other authors assigning it to Diceros or to the monotypic genus Miodiceros . Some authors have recognised the species Ceratotherium germanoafricanum for remains spanning around 3-1 million years ago in East Africa and suggest that this species may be ancestral to the living white rhinoceros, though other authors have considered it
9400-423: The white rhinoceros by its size, smaller skull, and ears; and by the position of the head, which is held higher than the white rhinoceros, since the black rhinoceros is a browser and not a grazer. Their thick-layered skin helps to protect black rhinos from thorns and sharp grasses . Their skin harbors external parasites , such as mites and ticks , which may be eaten by oxpeckers and egrets . Such behaviour
9500-516: The wild, other than humans. Young rhinos sometimes fall prey to big cats , crocodiles, African wild dogs , and hyenas . Although rhinos are large and aggressive and have a reputation for being resilient, they are very easily poached; they visit water holes daily and can be easily killed while they drink. As of December 2009, poaching increased globally while efforts to protect the rhino are considered increasingly ineffective. The most serious estimate, that only 3% of poachers are successfully countered,
9600-414: The wild. The species was first named Rhinoceros bicornis by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema naturae in 1758. The name means "double-horned rhinoceros". 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
9700-416: Was a conservation effort in which black rhinos were translocated, but their population did not improve, as they did not like to be in an unfamiliar habitat. Under CITES Appendix I all international commercial trade of the black rhino horn is prohibited since 1977. China though having joined CITES since 8 April 1981 is the largest importer of black rhino horns. However, this is a trade in which not only do
9800-518: Was declared extinct in November 2011. The native Tswanan name keitloa describes a South African variation of the black rhino in which the posterior horn is equal to or longer than the anterior horn. An adult black rhinoceros stands 1.50–1.75 m (59–69 in) high at the shoulder and is 3.5–3.9 m (11–13 ft) in length. An adult weighs from 850 to 1,600 kg (1,870 to 3,530 lb), exceptionally to 1,800 kg (4,000 lb), with
9900-626: Was formally fixed and the Cape of Good Hope officially declared the type locality of the species. The intraspecific variation in the black rhinoceros has been discussed by various authors and is not finally settled. The most accepted scheme considers seven or eight subspecies, of which three became extinct in historical times and one is on the brink of extinction : The most widely adopted alternative scheme only recognizes five subspecies or "eco-types": D. b. bicornis , D. b. brucii , D. b. longipes , D. b. michaeli , and D. b. minor . This concept
10000-466: Was originally thought to be an example of mutualism , but recent evidence suggests that oxpeckers may be parasites instead, feeding on rhino blood. It is commonly assumed that black rhinos have poor eyesight, relying more on hearing and smell. However, studies have shown that their eyesight is comparatively good, at about the level of a rabbit. Their ears have a relatively wide rotational range to detect sounds. An excellent sense of smell alerts rhinos to
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