Black Rhinoceros
Diceros Bicornis
Classification
Domain Eukarya
- Cells are mostly all eukaryotes
- Splits into 4 kingdoms
Kingdom Animalia
- All animals are multicelluar
- All are heterotrophs
- Cells organized into tissues
Phylum Chordata
- bilateral symmetry
- complete digestive system
- segmented body, including segmented muscles
Sub-phylum Vertebrata
- Their movements provided by muscles attached to the endoskeleton
- They have a ventral heart with 2-4 chambers digestive system with large digestive glands, liver, and pancreas
- 3 middle ear bones
Class mammalia
- 3 middle ear bones
- All mammals have hair at some point during their development,
- a lower jaw made up of a single bone
Order Perissodactyla
- means "odd-toed"
- their middle toe is larger than the others
- the plane of symmetry of the foot passes through it
Family Rhinocerotidae
- Rhinos have a broad chest and short, stumpy legs.
- Contains various rhino species.
- They have a small braincase, and the nasal bones project forward freely and may extend beyond and above the premaxillae
Genus Diceros
- Black rhinoceroses
Species Bicornis
- Part of the scientific name for the "Black Rhinoceros"
- Black Rhinoceros
General Description
Black Rhinoceroses are mainly brownish-yellow to dark brown. Heights mainly range from 4.5 to 5.5 feet at shoulder. Black Rhinos length is about 10 feet on average. Their weight is 2,200 lbs. to 3,200 lbs. You can find Black Rhinoceroses in Africa, south of Sahara. They have a giant horn on their head, used for protection. They have short, stumpy legs that can actually charge up to 35 mph. You will also notice wrinkles on their body and legs.
Physical Adaptations
Rhinos actually have two horns, one posterior, and one anterior. They are made from keratin instead of bone. The anterior horn is usually the longest horn ranging from 48 cm to 128 cm. Rhinos use their horn for protection against wild animals or other rhinos. People often hunt them for their horns. Their surprisingly stumpy legs can charge at up to 35 mph. This helps them escape predators and chase prey. Their brownish yellowish or brownish grayish skin lets them blend in with the tall grass. Their average lifespan is 35 to 49 years. They rely mostly on their sense of smell rather than their sight, they can only see 25 to 30 meters away. They use this for locating places to stop and go to the bathroom, big mounds of dung are made until when they get too big, they make a new one. They have a prehensile lip, they use it for grabbing leaves and other vegetation.
Behavioral Adaptations
Black Rhinoceroses tend to live in African forests and stay 25 kilometers within water. They can inhabit deserts to grasslands, usually where grasslands and forests phase into one another. Black Rhinoceroses home territory can range from 2.6 km^2 to 133 km^2 depending on the condition of the area. Better conditions result in smaller home ranges, while poorer conditions result in larger home ranges, probably because they have to travel farther to get water. Male Black Rhinoceros usually remain solitary most of the time until it is breeding season. For Black Rhinos, there really is no breeding season but it depends on where they live and how big the population is. A male Black Rhinoceros usually starts breeding between the ages of 7 and 8. Female Black Rhinos breed between the ages of 5 and 7. When trying to flee a fight, a black rhino will snort and curl their tail until they settle down. For food, black rhinos are herbivores. They tend to eat grasses, leaves, and other vegetation. When Black Rhinos get too overheated, they roll in mud to cool themselves down.
Endangerment
Black Rhinoceroses have been on multiple red lists since 1988. They have been brought to near-extinction by humans. Humans hunt these Rhinos for their valuable horns. The areas where black rhinos lived have gone down 90% in size since 1775.
Works Cited
Burton, M. (2002). Rhinoceros. In International wildlife encyclopedia (3rd ed., Vol. 15, pp. 2152-2155). New York, NY:
Marshall Cavendish. Chicago Zoological Society. (n.d.). Black rhinoceros [Fact sheet]. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from Brookfield Zoo website: http://www.czs.org/Brookfield-ZOO/Zoo-Animals/Pachyderm-House/Black-Rhinoceros
Black-Rhinoceros Cobb, J. (n.d.). Black rhinoceros. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from National Geographic website: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/black-rhinoceros/?source=A-to-Z
Kurnit, J. (n.d.). Diceros bicornis [Fact sheet]. Retrieved March 11, 2015, from Animal Diversity website: http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Diceros_bicornis/