Diceros bicornis
The black rhinoceros is approximately 12 feet long with a shoulder height of 5½ feet. It weighs 2000-3000 pounds. Short stout limbs support its massive weight. The thick, dark brownish gray hide is almost devoid of hair. The tail is round, ending in a bristle haired tassel. The prehensile upper lip is used for grasping the branch ends of woody plants. Their hearing is good and they swivel their tubular ears to pick up sounds. They rely on their excellent sense of smell for knowledge of their surroundings and as a method of detecting danger.
The name "rhinoceros" derives from the distinctive horns on the snout. They are herbivorous, depending on plant foliage, leaves, twigs and shoots of shrubs and bushes. They use their prehensile lip to increase the amount of food per bite. They occasionally include fruit in their diet.
Here at the zoo, they are fed alfalfa hay, a special cow feed, and hoofstock supplement. The zoo's rhinos are part of an extensive behavioral enrichment program developed by the keepers. They have trained the rhinoceros, through operant conditioning, to conduct a variety of behaviors, including sitting on command, fetching a stick, backing up, presenting their feet, and even presenting their ears to draw blood.
Black rhinoceros are still found in eastern and southern Africa where they inhabit the transitional zone between grassland and forest, generally in thick brush and acacia scrub. The black rhinoceros is a highly endangered animal still poached today for its horns which are used for medicinal remedies and decorative dagger handles.
The black rhinoceros is approximately 12 feet long with a shoulder height of 5½ feet. It weighs 2000-3000 pounds. Short stout limbs support its massive weight. The thick, dark brownish gray hide is almost devoid of hair. The tail is round, ending in a bristle haired tassel. The prehensile upper lip is used for grasping the branch ends of woody plants. Their hearing is good and they swivel their tubular ears to pick up sounds. They rely on their excellent sense of smell for knowledge of their surroundings and as a method of detecting danger.
The name "rhinoceros" derives from the distinctive horns on the snout. They are herbivorous, depending on plant foliage, leaves, twigs and shoots of shrubs and bushes. They use their prehensile lip to increase the amount of food per bite. They occasionally include fruit in their diet.
Here at the zoo, they are fed alfalfa hay, a special cow feed, and hoofstock supplement. The zoo's rhinos are part of an extensive behavioral enrichment program developed by the keepers. They have trained the rhinoceros, through operant conditioning, to conduct a variety of behaviors, including sitting on command, fetching a stick, backing up, presenting their feet, and even presenting their ears to draw blood.
Black rhinoceros are still found in eastern and southern Africa where they inhabit the transitional zone between grassland and forest, generally in thick brush and acacia scrub. The black rhinoceros is a highly endangered animal still poached today for its horns which are used for medicinal remedies and decorative dagger handles.
