Black Rhinoceros
Diceros bicornis
🦏
Chordata
Mammalia
Perissodactyla
Rhinoceratoidea
Rhinocerotidae
Diceros bicornis
The Black Rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis, is an iconic African herbivore known for its hooked upper lip and solitary nature. Once widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, it has been heavily reduced by hunting and poaching, yet it remains one of the most formidable survivors of the continent’s ancient megafauna
Description
Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) — The Black Rhino is a large, two-horned browsing species native to the savannas, scrublands, and dry forests of Africa. It is smaller and more agile than the White Rhino, distinguished by its prehensile upper lip, which allows it to grasp branches and shrubs. Adults reach 1.5–1.8 m at the shoulder and can weigh between 800–1,400 kg.
Fossil and genetic evidence show that Diceros bicornis emerged in Africa during the mid-Pleistocene, evolving from ancestral forms of Ceratotherium. Despite its name, the Black Rhino’s skin tone varies from grey to brown, depending on soil color and environment. Its behavior is notoriously unpredictable and defensive, likely a result of centuries of predation and human pressure.
Today, Diceros bicornis is critically endangered, with small, managed populations surviving in eastern and southern Africa under intensive conservation.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
1200
1.6
2.4
3.5
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Browsers
Hunt History
Prehistoric humans hunted Diceros bicornis throughout Africa for meat, hide, and horn. Early hunter-gatherer groups along the savanna edges used wooden and later stone-tipped spears to ambush rhinos near waterholes or game trails. Rhino horn fragments from archaeological contexts suggest that they held ritual or symbolic importance.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Kalambo Falls Site, Zambia – Early Stone Age deposits (~300,000 BP) yielded Diceros bones with percussion marks indicating butchery by archaic humans.
Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya – Middle Pleistocene Acheulean site (~600,000–400,000 BP) containing Diceros bicornis remains with cut marks near hand axes and cleavers.
Border Cave, South Africa – Later Stone Age levels (~40,000 BP) produced rhinoceros bones in association with ochre and bone tools, suggesting hunting and symbolic use.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
Africa
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
72
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/back & visceral fat
Adipose Depots
Subcutaneous back/shoulder, visceral; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Dorsal hump fat & marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
5