Rhinoceros
Big Five Elephant Leopard Lion Buffalo
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Species: Two types are
found, namely Black and White Rhinos. The Black Rhino's head is much smaller, it is a
solitary animal, more aggr
essive 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.