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A gray black rhinoceros with two horns standing on bare ground.
Photo: AfricanConservation, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Black Rhinoceros

Diceros bicornis

A critically endangered two-horned rhino of eastern and southern Africa that browses on shrubs with a pointed, grasping lip.

🦓 Hoofed Mammals
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About the Black Rhinoceros

Black rhinos live in eastern and southern Africa, in bushy plains, thick brush, open forests and grassy plains, always near water. Adults weigh up to 3,000 pounds. They are browsers that use a pointed, grasping upper lip to strip leaves off thorny bushes like acacia. Both black and white rhinos are actually gray; their color can depend on the mud they've rolled in.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Diceros bicornis[1]
Size
10 to 12.5 feet long. Front horn up to 50 inches.[1]
Weight
Up to 3,000 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
35 to 50 years in the wild.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. A browser that eats bushes, shrubs, acacia, twigs and new growth.[1]
Habitat
Bushy plains, dense brush, open forests and grassy plains near water.[1]
Where it lives
Eastern and southern Africa, including South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.[1]
Group life
Feeds in the morning and evening; rests in shade or mud in the heat of the day.[1]
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020).[2]

Fun facts

  • Black rhinos can run up to 40 miles per hour for short distances.[1]
  • Like horses, rhinos walk and run on their toes.[1]
  • Black and white rhinos are both gray; they take on the color of the mud they roll in.[1]

Vocabulary

browser
An animal that eats leaves, twigs and shoots from bushes and trees.
prehensile
Able to grab or wrap around things, like a black rhino's upper lip.
nearsighted
Able to see close things clearly but not things far away.
wallow
A muddy spot where an animal rolls or rests to stay cool.
critically endangered
A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Black Rhinoceros.” https://www.sfzoo.org/black-rhinoceros/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Diceros bicornis (Black Rhinoceros).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/6557/152728945 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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