These can be heard when an animal is startled, or when groups come together to interact. Communicationīlack rhinos communicate through a network of low grunts, sniffs and snorts. They will rub their scent glands against trees or rocks, leaving behind a distinctive scent trail. Head rubbing is another form of scent marking used by black rhinos. Cows will also use this as a way to let bulls know that they’re in Oestrus.Ī black rhino confidently displays its long horn | © Mike Fell ( piles or ‘middens’ are also used to mark a territorial boundary, and are created through frequent defecation on a single spot. The most common forms of scent marking are urine spray and dung piles.īoth sexes will spray urine, usually near food and water sources. Black rhinos have very poor eyesight and rely heavily on smell to navigate their surroundings. They have thick-layered skin that helps to protect them from thorns and sharp grasses as they move through thickets and dense woodland areas.īlack rhinos are completely hairless except for on their ears, eyelashes and the tips of their tails.Ī female’s home range is much larger, spanning over 3 to 5 square miles (5-8 sq km), and will may overlap with the territory of multiple males.Ĭlaiming of territory is always done through scent marking. Rhinos tend to wallow in dust or mud, and soil conditions will mark their skin to a varying degree. They are both a brownish-grey colour, that varies slightly depending on location. There is no difference in skin colour between the black and white rhino. The name black rhino is somewhat misleading. A large adult black rhino | © Gaurav Kalbhor ( Skin Females tend to top out at less than a tonne – between 1,500 and 2,000 lbs (700-900kg) on average. Males are more solidly built than females and can grow to a weight of more than 2,800lbs (1,300kg). Male (bull) and female (cow) black rhinos grow to the same height – around 5.3ft (1.6m) on average, and approximately 11.5ft (3.5m) long from head to tail. They are thick and stocky, and are move with a menacing demeanour. The black rhino is the smallest of the African rhinos, but is still quite large in comparison with most other mammals on the continent. The white rhino got its name from the word ‘wijd’, which means wide in Dutch, and refers to the species’ flat upper lip. The exact origin of the name is unknown but it was thought to have come about as a means of distinction from the white rhino.
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