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Rhinoceros, Black
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Genus
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Diceros
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Species
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bicornis
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Status
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Endangered
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Number Left
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fewer than 3000 in wild
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Distribution
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From Somalia to South Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa
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Height
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63 inches (160 cm)
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Length
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10-12 feet (3-3.65 meters)
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Weight
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2200-4000 pounds (1000-1814 kg)
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Behavior
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Black rhinos are not territorial animals, but they do have a well-defined home range. They have a regular routine, often following the same paths from one place to another. They prefer to be alone, but occasionally they come together for a short time in pairs of small groups of four or five animals. The only exception is the female and her calf, who stay together for up to four years. Black rhinos like to take mud baths and will spend hours wallowing. The mud protects their skin from the hot sun and insects.
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Feeding
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Rhinos are browsers, getting their food from the savannah's trees and shrubs. They can find food easily in the forest, but in open areas, the rhino has to travel far to find enough to eat. Rhinos usually go to a river, a watering hole, or some other source of water each day. During droughts, they are able to survive only on the moisture from the shrubs they eat.
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Conservation
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Of all the animals in this website, the black rhinoceros is one of the most likely to become extinct in the wild, despite the efforts to preserve it. In the early 1900s much of Africa was being settled. People thought rhinos were dangerous, and by the mid-1960s they were being killed off over much of their range. By 1984, the rhino population had decreased to 9000. Today there are fewer than 3000. Now it is known that the black rhino poses little threat to people, but these animals are still in danger because their horns are so highly prized. Poachers hunt black rhinos illegally, cut off their horns, and sell them in the Middle East. The horns are then made into prized dagger handles for the wealthy. In Zimbabwe, wildlife specialists are cutting off the horns of these rhinos so that poachers will not kill them. In many countries, patrols are ordered to "shoot to kill" illegal hunters. In North America and Europe, conservation groups have begun to raise public awareness and money to help these animals. However, there are now too few rhinos left in too large an area to properly protect them from poachers.
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Interesting Facts
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Rhino horns are made of a tissue similar to that found in horse hoofs and human fingernails. Black rhinos are often accompanied by little birds that eat the insects and parasites in the rhino's thick skin.
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Images and Video Clips
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Animal Communication Panel
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