Diceros bicornis minor

(Drummond, 1876)

Vernacular names
English : Southern Black Rhinoceros
French : Rhinocéros noir du sud

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Perissodactyla
Family : Rhinocerotidae
Notes : 3 other subspecies known.

Identification
Body length of 380 cm, shoulder height of 170 cm, weight up to 1300 kg. Rectangular head with two long horns. Coloration usually dark gray to brown. Prehensile elongated upper lip. Subspecies browner with little skin folds on flanks.

Range and habitat
This subspecies occurs from Tanzania to South Africa. Species found from Kenya and Rwanda to Namibia, south to South Africa. Lives in wooded savannas, open forests (humid or dry) and semi-deserts.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
CITES : Appendix I
Status : This species is declining because of poaching for its horns which are sold in Chinese markets. Legally protected. Subspecies longipes extinct.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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