---
title: "What the sources say about the Black Rhinoceros | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "51 claims from the Black Rhinoceros profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/black-rhino-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/black-rhino/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Black Rhinoceros (*Diceros bicornis*)

> 51 claims from the Black Rhinoceros profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Black Rhinoceros](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/black-rhino/)

## Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library.

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/blackrhino/characteristics

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A black rhino weighs 1,000 to 1,800 kilograms, with a body 2.9 to 3.75 meters long and a shoulder height of 1.4 to 1.8 meters. | Body Weight 1,000 - 1,800 kg (2200 - 3970 lbs) Body Length 2.9 - 3.75 m (114-148 in) ... Shoulder Height 1.4 - 1.8 m (55 - 71 in) (note: SDZWA only; Save the Rhino's 900 - 1,350 kg is not merged in) |
| It has no incisors, the front biting teeth. | No canines or incisors |
| Horns Without Bone | No bony core |
| They have no bony core and are not shed. | No bony core; not attached to skull; not shed |
| Start with the upper lip. A black rhino's is triangular and prehensile, meaning it can grip. A white rhino's is square and can't grip. | Upper lip triangular-shaped and prehensile ... Upper lip square shaped and not prehensile |
| The white rhino also has a large hump behind its head, and its molars are high-crowned, while the black rhino's are low-crowned. | No incisors and low-crowned molars ... No incisors and high crowned molars Upper lip square shaped and not prehensile Large hump behind head |

## Black rhino. Save the Rhino International.

https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino-info/rhino-species/black-rhino/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a recorded top speed of about 34 miles per hour | have been recorded at highs of 55 km/h (note: 34 mph is a conversion of the source's 55 km/h) |
| two horns that grow from the skin all its life | black rhinos have two horns, which grow continually from the skin at their base throughout their life |
| Semi-desert savannah, woodlands, forests and wetlands in southern and eastern Africa | black rhino occur throughout southern and eastern Africa ... This spans a wide range of habitats in Africa, including semi-desert savannah, woodlands, forests and wetlands |
| is a browser that eats trees, bushes and shrubs, unlike the grass-grazing white rhino | black rhino are browsers (i.e., they eat trees, bushes and shrubs), compared to their cousins, white rhinos, which are grazers (note: 'grass-grazing' defines grazer for young readers) |
| Today it lives in southern and eastern Africa, in countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. | black rhino occur throughout southern and eastern Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe (note: current page (news items dated 2026)) |
| The clearest way to tell it from a white rhino is its hooked lip; a white rhino's is flat. | The most distinguishable characteristic between a black and a white rhino is that black rhinos have a hooked lip, as opposed to a flat-based lip |
| Black rhinos have poor eyesight and cannot easily spot a person standing more than 30 meters away, but their senses of smell and hearing are excellent. | black rhinos have poor eyesight, and cannot easily detect an observer standing more than 30 metres away. They do however have an excellent sense of smell and hearing |
| Black rhinos have been recorded at up to 55 kilometers an hour (34 mph). | black rhino can move extremely fast and have been recorded at highs of 55 km/h (note: 34 mph is a conversion of 55 km/h) |
| Both horns grow continually from the skin at their base throughout a rhino's life. | black rhinos have two horns, which grow continually from the skin at their base throughout their life |
| Each is made of thousands of compressed hair-like strands of keratin, like the fibers in hair and fingernails. | The horn is comprised of thousands of compressed hair-like strands of keratin (like hair and fingernail fibres) |
| Depending on the habitat, black rhinos can be solitary and territorial or semi-social. | black rhinos can be either solitary and territorial, or semi-social and less aggressively-territorial, depending on the habitat |
| Adult males tend to live alone except when courting, and females are usually found only with their latest calf. | Adult male black rhinos tend to live on their own, except when courting females. ... Females tend to remain solitary, and are usually only found in the presence of their latest calf |
| The BBC's Africa series even filmed a group gathering socially at a waterhole. | Incredible footage from the recent BBC Africa series recorded a group of black rhinos congregating socially at a waterhole |
| Rhinos mark their ground by spraying urine, leaving dung piles called middens, and rubbing a scent gland on their skin against a rock or tree. | Urine spraying is a common form of scent-marking ... Dung piles are also a common scent-mark, known as 'middens' ... black rhinos leave a distinctive scent against a rock or tree by rubbing a scent gland located on their skin |
| Oxpeckers, birds often seen with rhinos, remove their ticks and raise the alarm when danger approaches. | red and yellow-billed ox-peckers are often seen with rhino and benefit them by removing ticks and clearing parasites from any open wounds, and also by raising the alarm if there is any danger approaching (note: 'birds' is a plain definition of oxpeckers) |
| Back From About 2,400 | total numbers dipping as low as around 2,400 |
| In the 19th century, black rhinos numbered several hundred thousand and were hunted relentlessly. | during the 19 th century, as European influence over land use and trade strengthened, the black rhino, which was the most numerous rhino species with several hundred thousand animals, was hunted relentlessly across most of Africa |
| By 1970 an estimated 65,000 were left. | By 1970 there were an estimated 65,000 animals left. |
| Poaching rose through the 1970s and 1980s with demand for rhino horn in Asia and the Middle East, and between 1970 and 1992 numbers fell 96 percent, to as low as around 2,400. | poaching pressure escalated during the 1970s and 1980s as a result of the rising demand for rhino horn in Asia and the Middle East. Between 1970 and 1992, the black rhino suffered a 96% reduction in numbers, with total numbers dipping as low as around 2,400 |
| Save the Rhino now puts the population at 6,788. | Population 6,788 (note: Fact File on the current page (news items dated to Aug 2026)) |
| Black rhinos live up to 30 to 35 years in the wild and 35 to 45 years or more in captivity. | black rhinos live up to 30-35 years in the wild and 35-45+ years in captivity |
| Save the Rhino names poaching and a lack of safe habitat as its most significant threats | poaching and lack of suitable, safe habitats are the most significant threats |
| Keratin. A black rhino's two horns grow continually from the skin at their base throughout its life, like human fingernails. | black rhinos have two horns, which grow continually from the skin at their base throughout their life (like human fingernails) |
| Each horn is made of thousands of compressed hair-like strands of keratin, which makes it extremely hard and tough, though it can break or split in a fight. | The horn is comprised of thousands of compressed hair-like strands of keratin (like hair and fingernail fibres), making it extremely hard and tough, but it can be broken or split during fighting |
| The front horn is longer than the rear one, averaging around 50 centimeters. | The front (anterior) horn is longer than the rear (posterior) horn, averaging at around 50 cm long |
| Black rhinos have been recorded at up to 55 kilometers per hour (34 mph), and they can change direction surprisingly quickly and run right through scrub and bushes. | black rhino can move extremely fast and have been recorded at highs of 55 km/h. They can change direction surprisingly quickly and can run right through scrub and bushes (note: 34 mph is a conversion of 55 km/h) |
| Their eyesight is poor: one cannot easily spot a person standing more than 30 meters away. Their senses of smell and hearing are excellent. | black rhinos have poor eyesight, and cannot easily detect an observer standing more than 30 metres away. They do however have an excellent sense of smell and hearing |
| tags: savanna | semi-desert savannah, woodlands, forests and wetlands |
| recorded at up to 55 km/h that runs straight through scrub | have been recorded at highs of 55 km/h. They can change direction surprisingly quickly and can run right through scrub and bushes (note: vibe.reason (#454); 'straight through scrub' renders 'right through scrub and bushes'.) |

## Diceros bicornis (black rhinoceros). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Diceros_bicornis/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Twigs, woody shrubs, small trees, legumes and grass, with a preference for acacias and Euphorbia plants | Black rhinos are browsers that feed on items such as twigs, woody shrubs, small trees, legumes, and grass. Black rhinos show a preference for Acacia species, as well as plants in the family Euphorbiaceae. |
| A hooked, prehensile upper lip that grabs plants and guides them into its mouth. | Black rhinos use their characteristic prehensile upper lip to grab plants and guide them into their mouths (note: 'hooked' is Save the Rhino's word for the lip (see the lip claim below)) |
| It once lived across Africa south of the Sahara, apart from the Congo Basin. | Historically, Diceros bicornis has been distributed throughout Africa, south of the Sahara, with the exception of the Congo Basin. |
| That upper lip is prehensile, meaning it can grip: it grabs plants and guides them into the mouth. | Black rhinos use their characteristic prehensile upper lip to grab plants and guide them into their mouths (note: 'meaning it can grip' defines prehensile) |
| It eats an average of 23.6 kilograms of food a day. | They eat an average of 23.6 kg during the course of each day. |
| A startled black rhino tends to run away. Once the scare passes, curiosity kicks in and it investigates with charges. | When they are startled, they tend to run away from the source. ... Once the initial scare has passed, the rhino's curiosity kicks in, and it will examine the source with inquisitive charges. |
| Many charges at people and their vehicles turn out harmless, but some can cause injury or death. | Although many charges by black rhinos towards humans and their vehicles turn into innocent advances, some may cause injury or death to humans |
| Lions sometimes attack adults, and lions and spotted hyenas sometimes prey on young rhinos, but humans are the most important predator. | Humans, Homo sapiens, are the most important predator of black rhinos; however, both lions (Panthera leo) and spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) sometimes prey on young rhinos. Lions also sometimes attack adults. |
| Home ranges run from 2.6 to 133 square kilometers. | Depending on region and habitat, home range can range from 2.6 km^2 to 133 km^2. |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | Although many charges by black rhinos towards humans and their vehicles turn into innocent advances, some may cause injury or death to humans (note: backs stats.dangerLevel (#454). Deadly is 'Capable of killing a human', a capability, and ADW records charges causing death.) |
| tags: herbivore | Black rhinos are browsers that feed on items such as twigs, woody shrubs, small trees, legumes, and grass. (note: #454, replaces apex-predator and solitary-hunter.) |

## AnAge entry for Diceros bicornis. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Diceros_bicornis

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| AnAge's longevity record is a wild-born female that was about 57 when she died in captivity at a sanctuary in Ngorongoro. | Maximum longevity 57 years (wild) ... One wild born female specimen was about 57 years old when it died in captivity at a sanctuary in Ngorongoro |

## Pettigrew & Manger (2008). Retinal ganglion cell density of the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis): Calculating visual resolution. Visual Neuroscience.

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0952523808080498

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a 2008 study of one rhino's retina found no support for its weak-sighted reputation | A single right retina from a black rhinoceros was whole mounted ... Thus, the reputation of the rhinoceros as a myopic, weakly visual animal is not supported by our observations of the retina. (note: 2008 is the reference's year (Crossref; Cambridge online 28 April 2008)) |
| It put the rhino's sharpness of vision at 6 cycles per degree, comparable to a rabbit's | Our calculations indicate that the rhinoceros has a visual resolution of 6 cycles/degree ... it is comparable to that of the rabbit (6 cycles/deg) (note: 'sharpness of vision' plain-words visual resolution) |
| calculated that, against the right background, a black rhino could readily pick out a 30-centimeter-wide person about 200 meters away | We calculate that the black rhinoceros could readily distinguish a 30 cm wide human at a distance of around 200 m given the appropriate visual background. |

## Emslie (2020). Diceros bicornis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T6557A152728945.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-1.rlts.t6557a152728945.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The species is Critically Endangered | Critically Endangered (note: IUCN category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List, per docs/fact-check.md) |