Black rhinoceros - Middle Africa Desert Herbivores

Black rhinoceros
By Jennifer Kurnit
Animal Diversity Web
University of Michigan
Museum of Zoology

Habitat
Black rhinoceroses live in various habitats that range from deserts to grasslands, both tropical and subtropical. They are also present in African forests, especially in areas where grasslands and forests phase into one another. Black rhinos generally stay within 25 kilometers of water. (Grzimek, 2005; Massicot, 2006; World Wildlife Fund, 2004)

Food Habits
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. They eat an average of 23.6 kg during the course of each day. Black rhinos use their characteristic prehensile upper lip to grab plants and guide them into their mouths, where their cheek teeth can do the rest of the work. In addition, black rhinos use their horns to gain access to higher branches by breaking or knocking down plants. Scraping bark off of trees is also part of the repertoire of black rhino feeding. (Grzimek, 2005; Hillman-Smith and Groves, 1994; Massicot, 2006)

Please visit the website to learn more; click on a photo to enlarge.