Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics

Body shape

• Heavy, stocky body
• Short neck
• Large head
• Limbs and feet
  
• Three, hoofed toes
  
• Central toe is largest; supports most of the body weight
  
• Tail
• Small
• Tuft of hair at the tip
• Horns
• 2 horns
• Positioned on the rostrum
• One in front of the other.
• Structure
• Composed of keratin (like true horns)
• No bony core; not attached to skull; not shed
• Grow continually throughout life

Facial characteristics

• Teeth
• Large
• Robust cheek teeth
• No canines or incisors

Adult pelage

• Almost hairless
• Skin grey and exposed
  
• Deeply folded
• Color often obscured by dirt due to wallowing in mud or dust

Rhinoceros species features

• Largest and smallest species
• Largest - white rhinoceros
  
• Smallest - Sumatran rhinoceros

Comparison with other rhinos

• Black rhinoceros
• 2 horns
• Skin hairless
• No incisors and  low-crowned molars
• Upper lip triangular-shaped and prehensile
• White rhinoceros
  
• 2 horns
• Skin hairless
• No incisors and high crowned molars
• Upper lip square shaped and not prehensile
• Large hump behind head
• Indian rhinoceros
  
• 1 horn
• Skin hairless
• Tusk-like lower incisors and high crowned molars
• Prehensile upper lip
• Skin forms heavy folds, like armor plating
• Posterior of neck plate continuous with body
• Large bumps on skin of shoulder, upper arms and upper legs
• Javan rhinoceros
  
• 1 horn
• Reduced to a horny knob in female
• Skin hairless
• Tusk-like lower incisors and low-crowned molars
• Prehensile upper lip
• Skin forms heavy folds, like armor plating
• Posterior of neck plate separated from body
• Skin with mosaic-like pattern rather than large bumps
• Sumatran rhinoceros
  
• 2 horns
• Very small in the female
• Skin hairy
• Lower incisors present but not tusk-like
• Prehensile upper lip
• Skin fold forming only a few divisions
• No folds near nose

Subspecific characteristics

• D. b. michaeli
• Horns longer, thinner, and more curved
• More aggressive than other subspecies
• D. b. bicornis
• Larger in size
• Horns straighter
• Adapted to a more arid habitat

Minimal dimorphism

• Appearance of male and female similar
• It can be difficult to tell males from females
• Differences more apparent with age
• Older females have more of a sway-back
• Presumably due to carrying heavy calves during various pregnancies
• Male genital characteristics
• Backward facing genitalia (as in hippo)
• Lack a scrotum; testes abdominal
• Female characteristics
• 2 teats

Sensory Systems

• Vision
• Poor eyesight
• Smell
• Good sense of smell
• Hearing
• Good sense of hearing

Black Rhinoceros at the Chester Zoo.

Image credit: © Nigel Swales from Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Emslie & Brooks (1999)
Kingdon (1997)