SANParks.org Forums

For those of us who have only ever seen a black rhino through binoculars, please can you explain how you can tell this is a black rhino.

You can see by looking at the lips, saraf. A white rhino (wide lipped rhino) has a flat mouth and eats grass and a black (same colour as the white) has a pointed upperlip (overbite ) and eats shrubs (acacia).

The main difference between the two is how their mouths are shaped.

The black rhinoceros is smaller than the white. It also has a hooked (or more pointed) lip. The White Rhino is lighter than the Black Rhino and has a square jaw.

The above was taken from this site which explains the differences in detail.

Hi saraf,

Besides the difference of the lips .The white rhino's head goes downwards because it is a grazer and it needs to get down very easily to get food. It also has a hump at the top of the neck where the neck joins the back (quite hard to describe it).

The black rhino's neck is more upright because it is a browser and takes food off plants and not from the ground . It seems to me that the black rhino does not have that hump on the neck as described above.

Another way to tell the difference is if there is a baby around the white rhino always walks behind it and in the case of the black rhino the baby is always behind the mother .

Hope this helps with your future sightings

Good luck

You've been very lucky to see black rhino three times. I've seen black rhino in Kruger and Pilansberg once, and I've seen loads of them in Etosha. To see black rhino in Etosha just book some nights in Okaukuejo camp and sit at the waterhole at night. I sat there for nine hours one night and saw 12 black rhino's. They're a common sight at the waterholes of both Okaukuejo and Halale camp at night. In Kruger it's a whole different story though....

I think there are around 300-350, but that was in 2003...



That is soo lucky how many times you've seen them...I've seen cheetah and wild dog about 2-3 times each and no black rhino (which are more common!!!)

Gosh, they are so shy...

WAC, The latest census count stands at 250.

Black/ Hook-lipped Rhinoceros
(Diceros bicornis)

Ger: Spitzmaulnashorn.
Fre: Rhinoceros noir.
Afr: Swart renoster.
Xho: Umkhombe.
Zul: Ubhejane.

Status: Endangered.
Mass: 800-1400 kg.
Shoulder height: 1,4-1,6 m.
ID Pointers:
- Massive horns situated on top of the nose.
- Very large.
- Dark greyish-brown skin.
- Hooked lip.
- Odd toed hoofs/feet.
- Fringed ears.
Predators:
1. Lion.
2. Wild Dog.
Scent glands: None.
Senses: Poor sight, very good hearing & smell.
Horns: Length: 0,5-1,3 m. Both sexes have horns which are very distinct to the rhinoceros family.

DISTRIBUTION IN KNP:
Rare. Occur widely south of Letaba Rest Camp, but don't occur north of Letaba Rest Camp. Establishes populations occur in the Skukuza/Nwaswitshaka area, the Lower Sabie/Lubyelubye area & the N'waswitsonto/Sweni/Tshokwane/Satara areas.

BEHAVIOUR:
Diurnal & nocturnal. Solitary, but meets often occur at waterholes. Bulls are slightly territorial, territories of 2,5-8 km2 are defended. Dung middens, well-worn paths, urinating on bushes, ground scruffing & vegetation horning are all used as territorial markings. Cows aren't territorial.
Calls: Puffs, puffing snorts, snorts, shrieks & squeals.

REPRODUCTION:
A single calf of 40-50 kg is born after a gestation of 15 months. Breed all year.

FOOD:
Leafy twigs, shrubs & shoots. Water dependant.

HABITAT:
Savanna woodland & scrub/forest areas near water.

Sources:
- Field Guide to the mammals of the Kruger National Park by Heike Schutze.
- Field Guide to the larger mammals of Africa by Chris & Tilde Stuart.

Found in the following SANParks:
- Addo Elephant National Park.
- Karoo National Park.
- Kruger National Park.
- Marakele National Park.
- Mountain Zebra National Park.

A tip I learnt from one of the CCA guys regarding black rhino spotting – whenever you come across an area of burnt veld look out for black rhino as they like to eat the burnt grass. Even have the nickname 'toast munchers' from the habit.

How far south has a black rhino being spotted?
We found these two at Afsaal.

Was wondering if anyone knows how big the range is of the Black Rhino?
How likely is it that it is the same animals seen in all the recent sightings from around Afsaal/S25/Berg & Dal?

Hi Elsa in Zululand some of the territories go to 2000hectres but usually much smaller in Kruger acording to some scientific article I saw years ago.

These Black Rhinos were seen on the S119 last month, really a great thrill as these are the first for me in Kruger.

Male



and then the mother and calf.

Near Lower Sabie December 31:

A very pleasant surprise to see, and a first for us.