Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) Fact Sheet: Summary

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Perissodactyla

Family: Rhinocerotidae

Genus: Diceros

Species: Diceros bicornis (black rhinocerous)

Subspecies:
D. b. michaeli - eastern
D. b. bicornis - southwestern
D. b. minor - south central
D. b. longipes - western (declared extinct in 2011)

Body Weight: 1,000 - 1800 kg; (2200 - 3970 lbs)

Head/Body Length: 2.9 - 3.75 m (9.5-12.3 ft)

Shoulder Height: 1.4 - 1.8 m (4.6-5.9 ft)

Tail Length: 60-70 cm (2.0-2.3 ft)

Pelage: Hair only on fringes of ears, and tip of tail. Thick, gray, heavily-folded skin covers the body; color often obscured by dirt.

Horns: Two; located on the rostrum. Composed of keratin (protein composing hair); no bony core. Not shed annually.

Diagnostic Characters: Upper lip pointed and prehensile, capable of grasping objects; unlike the White Rhino whose lip is squared-off and non-prehensile.

Range: Widely scattered populations, Sub saharan Africa. Most commonly present in Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Habitat: Savannahs; not found in closed canopy forest.

IUCN Status 
Critically Endangered; see IUCN Status for separate subspecies assessments

CITES 
Appendix I

Population in Wild: approximately 3,100 mature individuals; see Population Status for subspecies estimates

Locomotion: Tend to be fairly sedentary. Share established trails with elephants.

Activity Cycle: Active both day and night. Least active during hottest part of day (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

Social Groups: Semi-solitary, but usually tolerate each other's presence with little aggression.

Diet: Leaves and small twigs.

Predators: Humans; young may be vulnerable to attacks by lions and hyenas.

Sexual Maturity:
Males: 6-10 years
Females: 4-7 years

Gestation: 15 - 17 months

Litter Size: 1 calf

Birth weight: 27 - 45 kg (59.5 - 99.2 lb)

Independent of mother: 2.5 to 3 years

Typical Life Expectancy: 
Managed care: median life expectancy of about 19 years for eastern black rhino, Diceros bicornis michaeli

Feature Facts

• ​Heavily hunted for horns (for purported medicinal use); population decreased by 94% between 1970 and 1990.
• ​Earliest record of managed care - 3rd century BC by the Romans. Slow increase in population size since 1995 due to aggressive protection.
• Many remaining rhinos are concentrated in sanctuaries and conservancies
• Recent increasing efforts towards biologic management for successful breeding to increase populations
• 1976: First black rhino born in the zoo's Wild Animal Park (now Safari Park)
• The SDZG is considered the world's leading breeding authority on rhinos.