South-central hook-lipped rhinoceros
The South-central black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis minor) is a subspecies of the Black rhinoceros. Although it is the most numerous of the Black rhino subspecies, it is nevertheless designated as critically endangered on the IUCN’s red list.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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LignivoreTe
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe South-central black rhino has a compact body, proportionally large head, and prominent skin-folds. It has a pointed and prehensile upper lip, which it uses to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding. There are two horns on the skull that are made of keratin; the larger front horn is typically 50 cm (20 in) long and may be exceptionally up to 140 cm (55 in) long. The horns are used for defense, intimidation, and digging up roots, and breaking branches during feeding. The thick-layered skin varies in color from brown to grey. It helps to protect rhinos from thorns and sharp grasses. It is commonly assumed that black rhinos have poor eyesight, relying more on hearing and smell. However, studies have shown that their eyesight is comparatively good, at about the level of a rabbit. Their ears have a relatively wide rotational range to detect sounds. An excellent sense of smell alerts rhinos to the presence of predators.
Today, South-central black rhinos occur mostly in northeastern South Africa, and to a lesser extent in Zimbabwe, with even smaller numbers in Eswatini. At one time, South-central black rhinos have disappeared from Malawi, Botswana, and Zambia, but they have since been reintroduced into those countries. Whether there are any in Mozambique is uncertain, but at least one specimen has been seen there since 2008. Within their range, Southern-central black rhinos inhabit dry savannas and shrublands.
Little is known about the behavior of South-central rhinos. Generally, Black rhinos usually lead a solitary life and they are sedentary animals. They tend to live in the same area throughout their lives. They are not very territorial and often intersect other rhino territories. Males typically live alone before mating. Female rhinos, on the other hand, form small groups together with their young. The territories of these groups often overlap. In addition, females occasionally form temporary social units. Members of these groups travel and feed together. Black rhinos are most active in the morning and evening when they travel, feed, and drink. During the midday hours, they typically exhibit less activity. When feeling danger, they curl their tail and flee to escape the threat while emitting various snorting sounds. When the danger has passed, these curious animals start exploring the source of the threat. During the dry season of hot days, Black rhinos can often be seen taking mud baths, which help them to cool off. Black rhinos use several forms of communication. Due to their solitary nature, scent marking is often used to identify themselves to other black rhinos. Coming upon these spots, rhinos will smell to see who is in the area and add their own marking. Less commonly they will rub their heads or horns against tree trunks to scent-mark.
South-central black rhinos are herbivores (folivores, lignivores, frugivores). They browse leafy plants, branches, shoots, thorny wood bushes, and also eat fruit. They get the required nutrients from salt licks of the area, to which they take occasional trips.
In general, Black rhinos are polygynous, which means that one male gets an exclusive right to mating with multiple females. Black rhinos breed year-round. However, they do have peak periods of breeding, which differ among populations, depending on geographical location. A single baby is born after 15 months of gestation. The mother keeps the calf hidden, until the latter is one week old, after which the baby comes out. During the following period, the mother and the calf communicate through special calls, which help them to find each other. The mother emits a panting sound, which is responded to by the squeal of the calf. By about one month old, the young rhino has learned to browse independently. At 4-5 months old, it begins to drink water. The calf is weaned by 1.5 years old, although it becomes completely independent only after 4 years old. The age of reproductive maturity is 5-7 years old in females and 7-8 years old in males.
Over the last 50 years, the South-central black rhino population has declined by 90% due to a wave of illegal poaching for their horns. This remains to be the main threat to the subspecies and has even increased in recent years.
According to IUCN Red List, the total population size of the South-central black rhino is 2,305 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
