Black rhinoceros

Black rhinoceros
Temporal range: Pliocene - Recent 3.6–0 Ma
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A south-central black rhinoceros (D. b. minor) in South Africa
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Rhinocerotidae
Genus: Diceros
Species:
D. bicornis
Binomial name
Diceros bicornis
Subspecies

Diceros bicornis bicornis †
Diceros bicornis brucii †
Diceros bicornis chobiensis
Diceros bicornis ladoensis
Diceros bicornis longipes †
Diceros bicornis michaeli
Diceros bicornis minor
Diceros bicornis occidentalis

Historical black rhinoceros range (ca. 1700 A.D.).[3] Hatched: Possible historical range in West Africa.[4]
Current black rhinoceros range
  Extant, resident
  Extinct
  Extant & Reintroduced (resident)
  Extant & Assisted Colonisation (resident)
Synonyms
  • Rhinoceros bicornis Linnaeus, 1758

The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), sometimes also called the hook-lipped rhinoceros, is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern Africa and southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Although the species is referred to as black, its colours vary from brown to grey. It is the only extant species of the genus Diceros.

The other African rhinoceros is the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). The word "white" in the name "white rhinoceros" is often said to be a misinterpretation of the Afrikaans word wyd (Dutch wijd) meaning wide, referring to its square upper lip, as opposed to the pointed or hooked lip of the black rhinoceros. These species are now sometimes referred to as the square-lipped (for white) or hook-lipped (for black) rhinoceros.[5]

The species overall is classified as critically endangered (even though the south-western black rhinoceros is classified as near threatened) and is threatened by multiple factors including poaching and habitat reduction. Three subspecies have been declared extinct, including the western black rhinoceros, which was declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2011.[6][7] The IUCN estimates that 3,142 mature individuals remain in the wild.[1]

  1. ^ a b Emslie, R. (2020). "Diceros bicornis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T6557A152728945. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T6557A152728945.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hillma994 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Rookmaaker, L.C. (2004). "Historical distribution of the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) in West Africa" (PDF). African Zoology. 39 (1): 63–70. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  5. ^ White rhinoceros Archived 19 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Animal Corner
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference iucnWestern was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Knight, Matthew (10 November 2011) Western black rhino declared extinct Archived 6 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Us.cnn.com.