Black Rhinoceros - A Critically Endangered Species
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Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), picture taken at Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
By Yoky (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Eutheria
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Rhinocerotidae
Genus: Diceros
Species: Diceros bicornis
The Black Rhinoceros is one of the most critically endangered species in the world with a population of just 4,848 individuals. The population as of February 2013 is estimated to be 4,880.
A subspecies of this black rhinoceros, the western black rhinoceros was declared extinct in 2011 by the IUCN.
Black Rhinos live in the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannahs, deserts and shrub lands. They are native to Eastern and Central Africa including countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Swaziland. They were reintroduced in Zambia and Botswana.
The scientific name for the Black Rhinoceros is Diceros bicornis. This species was first named by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758.
Abbreviations and explanation of terms used:
CITES - Convention of InternationalTrade in Endangered Species
WWF – World Wildlife Fund
IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature
IRF - International Rhino Foundation
BRREP - Black Rhinoceros Range Expansion Project
AREAS - Asian Rhino and Elephant Action Strategy
FSC - Forest Stewardship Council
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Keratin - A material with which our hair and finger nails are made of
TRAFFIC - Wildlife trade monitoring network
RhoDIS - Rhino DNA Index System
Herbivores - Any animal that feeds chiefly on grass and other plants










Characteristics and behaviour:
- The black rhinos are dark brown or dark grey in colour and are 132 cm to 180 cm tall and 2.8 to 3.8 m in length. Their tails are about 60 cm in length.
- An adult black rhinoceros weighs between 800 to 1,400 kg. The female rhinoceros are smaller than the male rhinoceros. Some black rhinoceros can be large and weigh between <