Big Five | Elephant | Leopard | Lion | Buffalo
Rhino is part of the famous Big Five of the animal kingdom.
Species
Two types are found, namely Black and White Rhinos. The Black Rhino's head is much smaller, it is a solitary animal, more aggressive and the calf usually follows the mother.
Habitat
Black Rhinos prefer densely wooded areas, with a lot of shrubs and plenty of water whilst the White Rhino prefers more grassland.
Habits
Black Rhinos are very solitary animals, with bulls associating with females only for mating. Sub adults and youngsters stay with their mother only until the next calf is born, when they are driven off to find their own territories.
The Rhino bulls mark their territory by dragging their feet trough their dung, scattering it all over the place and by urinating on to bushes. They are extremely aggressive animals.
A charge by a Rhino, with is loud snorts, it's a terrifying affair. They readily attack predators including humans. They are also short sighted, but their sense of smell and hearing is very acute.
Adult males can weight up to 1200 kg, females being slightly smaller. Their life span is about 40 years.
Diet
Rhinos are browsers, eating leaves, fruit, flowers, but also herbs.
Breeding:
Mating is always preceded by courtship behaviour that includes snorting and sparring with the horns. Mating is repeated several times during a period of 2 to 3 days, and may last about 30 minutes at a time.
A single calf, weighing about 35 kg is born after a gestation period of about 15 months.
