Description:
The black rhino is smaller than the white rhino and can also be distinguished by its pointed upper lip. Adults are mainly solitary, although mothers and daughters may stay together for long periods of time. Despite its name, the black rhino’s colour can range from brown to grey. They have two horns made of keratin, with the front horn typically being longer.
Black Rhino with bird on back
Key facts
Population:
The Black rhino population has declined by an estimated 98% since 1960 – 1995, with numbers as low as 2,410 for mature individuals in 1995, mainly as a result of poaching. Since then, numbers have been steadily increasing thanks to significant conservation work.
Diet:
Habitat:
Black rhinos are found in a wide range of habitats from desert areas in Namibia to wetter forested areas, as well as shrublands and savannahs.
Range:
There are now three remaining subspecies of black rhino occupying different areas of eastern and southern Africa. They have become extinct in many African countries whereas some populations have now been reintroduced to countries such as Rwanda, Zambia and Botswana.
Black Rhino
© Dave Hamman Photography
Black-rhino-(c)-Merrick
Threats
The main threat to black rhinos is poaching for the international rhino horn trade where it is used predominantly as alternative medicine and as a status symbol. Black rhino poaching peaked in 2015 and has been declining since, yet remains their biggest threat.
Conservation:
Success in black rhino conservation has seen numbers increasing. Tusk invests in monitoring and surveillance of important black rhino populations, protecting them from poaching and maintaining populations at stable levels in many areas.
Learn more about the projects
The main threat to black rhinos is poaching for the international rhino horn trade where it is used predominantly as alternative medicine and as a status symbol. Black rhino poaching peaked in 2015 and has been declining since, yet remains their biggest threat.
Conservation:
Success in black rhino conservation has seen numbers increasing. Tusk invests in monitoring and surveillance of important black rhino populations, protecting them from poaching and maintaining populations at stable levels in many areas.