Black rhinoceros pictures and facts

The Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) is critically endangered. They are threatened by excessive poaching for their horns, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine and for dagger handles in Yemen and Oman. Rhinoceroses are classified as part of the order of Perrissodactyla (in which also horses reside), suborder Ceratomorpha, which contains two families of slower-moving, thick-set animals with several functional toes: tapirs and the rhinoceroses. They can weigh up to 1400 kilograms. Black rhinoceroses' horn can grow up to 140 centimeters (!), and usually they have two horns, but occasionaly a third develops. The word rhinoceros comes from the Greek words rhino (nose) and keros (horn). Adult Black rhinoceroses do not have any natural enemies. The young are occasionaly taken by lions or hyenas. Their aggressive disposition discourages its predators. Because of its nearsightedness, the rhino charges first and investigates later.