When insertion is actually achieved, copulation lasts between 20 and 40 minutes. Before copulation begins, many attempts by the male to mount the female are made if the female is not yet ready, she will make a series of attacks or charges at the male. Males exhibit certain behavioral characteristics before mating: they walk in a stiff-legged manner and brush their horns along the ground in front of the female. Male rhinos begin a courtship by following females, including their dependent offspring, for approximately one or two weeks before mating actually begins even while sleeping, the male and female remain in contact with one another. However, during mating, black rhino adults come together. Range length 3.0 to 3.75 m 9.84 to 12.30 ftĪdult black rhinos are typically solitary creatures.Additionally, black rhinos have smaller heads, shorter ears, and shorter horns than white rhinos. This lip is used to pick up food such as twigs. The trait that distinguishes black rhinos from white rhinos is the pointed, prehensile upper lip found in black rhinos, as opposed to the square lips found in white rhinos. ( Brooks, 2002 Grzimek, 2005 Massicot, 2006 World Wildlife Fund, 2004) Females tend to have longer and thinner horns than males. In some cases, black rhinos have a third, posterior horn, which is small. The anterior horn is normally longer, measuring 42 to 128 cm, while the posterior horn is 20 to 50 cm. ( Grzimek, 2005 Lang, 1983 World Wildlife Fund, 2004)īlack rhinos have two horns, one posterior and one anterior, which are made from keratin instead of bone. Although similar in size, males are normally a little larger than females. On average, black rhinos have a shoulder height between 1.4 and 1.8 m, a head and body length between 3 and 3.75 m, and a weight between 8 kg. The skin is naked or hairless, with the exception of short, fringe-like hair on the short and rounded ears. Specific skin color depends on the soil conditions within the habitat of each individual. ( Grzimek, 2005 Massicot, 2006 World Wildlife Fund, 2004)Īlthough the color of black rhinoceroses can vary from yellow-brown to dark-brown, the general color is grey. Black rhinos generally stay within 25 kilometers of water. They are also present in African forests, especially in areas where grasslands and forests phase into one another. ( Brooks, 2002 Grzimek, 2005 World Wildlife Fund, 2004)īlack rhinoceroses live in various habitats that range from deserts to grasslands, both tropical and subtropical. The current range of black rhinoceroses is bounded by Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa but their distribution within those limits is fragmented. Historically, Diceros bicornis has been distributed throughout Africa, south of the Sahara, with the exception of the Congo Basin.
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