Black rhinos are a fairly large mammal, whose weight can reach up to 3,600 kilograms. Black adult rhinos – a mighty animal, up to 3.2 meters in length, 150 cm in height. The muzzle of the animal is usually decorated with 2 horns, but there are places in Africa, especially in Zambia, where you can find rhinos of this species with 3 or even 5 horns. The horn of the rhinos is black in cross-section round (for comparison, in white rhinos horn of a trapezoidal form). The anterior horn of the rhinoceros is the largest, in length the horn reaches up to 60 centimeters.
The color of a black rhinos mostly depends on the color of the soil where the animal lives. As you know, rhinos like to lie in the mud and dust. Then in the rhinos the initial light-gray color of the skin acquires a different shade, then reddish, then whitish. And in those areas where frozen lava, the skin of a rhinos acquires a black shade. And still outwardly the black rhinoceros from white differs in the form of the upper lip. The black rhinoceros has a pointed upper lip, which hangs over the lower lip with a characteristic proboscis. So an animal is easier, with the help of this lip to grab from the bush and twigs foliage.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a huge population of black rhinos was seen in East and South Africa, fewer in the central part of South Africa. Unfortunately, very soon these animals were killed by poachers, so they suffered the same fate as many African animals – black rhinos were settled in national parks.
Black rhinos are a vegetarian animal. Dwells predominantly where there is a dry landscape, be it acacia, shrub savannah, rare woods or spacious, open steppes. Black rhino can be found in the semi-desert, but very rarely. Does not like the animal to penetrate into the tropical, moist forests of West Africa and the Congo basin. And all because rhinos can not swim, even very small water obstacles they can hardly overcome.
Over two hundred of the most diverse types of terrestrial plants are the diet of black rhinos. This herbivorous animal is impressed with aloe, agave-sansevera, candelabra-shaped spurgeon, which has a rather caustic and sticky juice. The rhinos will not disdain and watermelons, as well as flowering plants, if he suddenly has such an opportunity.
