Black Rhino

The Black rhino normally lives up to 40 years. Both male and female adult rhino's average weight is from 800 to 850 kg, with large adults reaching up to 1000 kg.Black Rhinoceros are found in dry areas as well as savannah and woodland areas with sufficient shrubs and trees to hide in, in the heat of the day. Black rhino are browsers, feeding off a wide variety of shrubs and trees. Toxic plants such as the Tamboti Spirostachys africana with its high latex content are also eaten, having no harmful effects on the animal. The black rhino has a very gritty upper lip that is used to pull off leaves, shoots and thin branches while feeding.Black Rhinos do not defend territories but do have home ranges in variable size that they scent-mark in. The bull scent-marks by either spraying urine onto vegetation or by defecating in certain spots called middens. Middens which vary in number are large collections of dung left by one bull or a number of different adults over a period of time. The bull after dropping his dung scrapes it into the ground with his hind legs and then spreads the dung further by dragging his feet as he walks away from the midden. Dung stuck under the bulls’ feet helps to further spread his scent as his walks through the area.The purpose of a midden is to possibly show information to other adults in the area by the different smells. The black rhinoceros has very weak eyesight but to compensate for that it has a very keen sense of smell and good hearing. The credits go to : AFW Wildlife

Picture credits go to : Google