Through the past 200 years (until 1998), there have been 775 animals recorded in zoos, of which 292 were born in captivity Current numbers in captivity: At the end of 2004, there were 277 black rhinos in captivity.Pre 20th century numbers: several hundred thousand.Female sexual maturity: at 4 to 7 years.Birth intervals per calf: 2.5 to 4 years.Gestation period: around 15 to 16 months.Black Rhinos browse for food in the morning and evening and sleep or wallow during the hottest part of the day.Home range size dependent on habitat, sex and age and varies greatly.Female home ranges overlap and are less solitary.Males are mainly solitary and probably territorial.Black Rhinos are usually portrayed as the most aggressive of all Rhino Species.Black Rhinos may reach speeds of 50 km/h (28 m/h).Characterisitcs: pointed hooked upper lip (prehensile lip).The oldest recorded animal lived 44 years 9 months in a zoo. Anterior Horn length: 0,5 – 1,3 m (1 ft 8 in – 4 ft 4 in).There are four subspecies of Black Rhino, but the West African Black Rhino ( Diceros bicornis longipes) is tentatively declared extinct. But due to conservation efforts numbers are stabilising and slowly rising, although tremendous effort is still needed to secure the future for the Black Rhino. The Black Rhino has seen the most drastic decline of all rhino species, because of poaching and habitat loss.
There are about 3,610 Black Rhino still left in the wild, but it has been estimated that there were about 70,000 in the late 1960s. It’s one of the two species of Rhinos native to Africa and it’s current range includes Southern and Eastern areas of Africa.
The Black Rhinoceros is a herbivorous browser that belongs to the order of the Perissodactyla.