Usuário:Burmeister/Muvuca zoológica

TRADUÇÃO DOS 3 RINOCERONTES (INDIANO, BRANCO E NEGRO)

RINOCERONTE BRANCO

Burmeister/Muvuca zoológica
Rinoceronte-branco pastando em um parque da África do Sul.
Classificação científica
Reino:	Animalia
Filo:	Chordata
Classe:	Mammalia
Infraclasse:	Placentalia
Ordem:	Perissodactyla
Família:	Rhinocerotidae
Gênero:	Ceratotherium
Espécies:	C. simium
Nome binomial
Ceratotherium simum (Burchell, 1817)
Mapa de distribuição original: Laranja = Ceratotherium simum cottoni. Verde = Ceratotherium simum simun

O rinoceronte-branco ou rinoceronte da beiçola quadrada Square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) é uma das cinco espécies de rinocerontes que ainda existem e das poucas espécies de megafauna (grandes animais?) que restaram. Depois dos elefantes, é o "massive" (maior , mais pesado, mais robusto) animal terrestre que ainda resta. Tem uma boca grande utilizada para "grazing" (pastar?) e é a mais sociável das espécies de rinocerontes. O rinoceronte-branco é o mais comum dos rinocerontes e está dividido em duas subespécies: rinoceronte-branco do sul, com aproximadamente 17.480 indivíduos vivendo na natureza do final de 2007 (IUCN 2008), e o muito mais raro rinoceronte-branco do norte. Da subespécie do norte aparentemente restam apenas treze animais sobreviventes, nove em cativeiro e quatro selvagens> No entanto a população selvagem não é avistada desde 2006 e pode já haver desaparecido completamente.

Taxonomia

Uma teoria popular sobre as origens do nome rinoceronte-branco, em inglês White Rhinoceros' é que seja decorrente de um engano na tradução do Dutch para o africâner e English. A palavra africâner "wit", em inglês "white", branco, aparentemente deriva da palavra holandesa wijde, que significa largo, amplo, e em inglês escreve-se wide e em africâner, "wyd" . A palavra inglesa wide refere-se à largura da boca do rinoceronte. Assim os primeiros colonizadores europeus na Africa do Sul enganaram-se com o som das palavras e o rinoceronte-de-boca-larga acabou sendo denominado rinoceronte-branco, enquanto o outro, com a boca mais estreita e proeminente, era conhecido como rinoceronte-negro. Uma busca na literatura africâner e holandesa sobre o rinoceronte, contudo, não apresentou qualquer evidência de que a palavra wyd jamais tenha sido empregada para descrever o rinoceronte. Outra teoria corrente sugere que o nome provém da aparência que o rinoceronte geralmente apresenta por toda a África, sua cor clara, em decorrência dos banhos em lama de solo calcário, ou excremento de pássaros em suas costas, ou ainda, devido à cor mais clara de seu corno.

Uma alternativa ao nome popular pelo qual é conhecido, mais acurada porém raramente mencionada, é rinoceronte-de-lábios-quadrados. Seu nome genérico, Ceratotherium, escolhido pelo zoólogo John Edward Gray em 1868, é derivado do Greek keras (κερας), "chifre" e therion (θηριον) "fera". O epíteto específico Simum, provém do grego simus (σιμος), "nariz chato".

Ceratotherium simum simum

White Rhinoceros in Lake Nakuru.

Existem duas subspecies de rinocerontes-brancos; o Southern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum) e o Northern White Rhinoceros. Em 31 de dezmbro de 2007, estimava-se que havia 17,480 Southern White Rhino na natureza (IUCN 2008), tornando-o a subespécie mais abundante de rinocerontes existentes no mundo. A África do Sul é o refúgio desta subespécie (93.0%), conservando 16,255 indivíduos na natureza em 2007 (IUCN 2008). Existem populações menores reintroduzidas em locais anteriormente dentro do território ocupado pelo rinoceronte-branco na Namíbia, Botsuana, Zimbábue e Suazilândia, enquanto pequena população ainda sobrevive em Moçambique. Populações foram introduzidas fora de seu território original no Quênia, Uganda e Zâmbia (Emslie and Brooks 1999; Emslie et al. 2007).

Wild-caught southern whites will readily breed in captivity given appropriate amounts of space and food, as well as the presence of other female rhinos of breeding age. For instance, 91 calves have been born at the San Diego Wild Animal Park since 1972. However, for reasons that are not currently understood, the rate of reproduction is extremely low among captive-born southern white females.

Ceratotherium simum cottoni

The Northern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), formerly found in several countries in East and Central Africa south of the Sahara, is considered Critically Endangered.

According to the WWF, there are only four Northern White Rhinos left in the wild. However, in June 2008 it was reported that the species may have gone extinct since none of these four known remaining individuals has been seen since 2006.

TRECHO PROVENIENTE DO ARTIGO PRINCIPAL NA WIKI ANGLÓFONO

The Northern Whyte Rhinoceros or Northern Square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) is one of the two subspecies of the White Rhinoceros. This subspecies is a grazer and is an animal of grasslands and savannah woodlands. These animals may now be extinct in the wild as a recent survey failed to locate the only known surviving population of four in the Garamaba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Only 8 captive specimens are left in the world: at the San Diego wild Animal Park and in the Czech Republic.

Wild population

The White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), formerly ranged over parts of north-western Uganda, southern Chad, south-western Sudan, the eastern part of Central African Republic, and north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) . The only confirmed population today occurs in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Poachers reduced their population from 500 to 15 in the 1970s and 1980s. By the early 1990s through mid 2003 the population recovered to more than 32 animals. Surveys in 2000 indicated that the population has started recovering with 30 animals confirmed in 2000 with up to a possible six others . Since mid 2003, poaching has intensified and reduced the wild population to only 5 to 10 animals (7 actual count worldwide) but according to the WWF, there are now only four Northern White Rhinos left in the wild.

Garamba National Park

The last surviving population of wild Northern white rhinos are all located in Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Recent civil wars and disruptions have been cause for much concern about the status of this last surviving population.

In January 2005, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) approved a two-part plan for the translocation of five northern white rhino from Garamba National Park to a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya. The second part commits the Government and its international partners to increase conservation efforts in Garamba, so that the northern white rhinos can be returned when it is safe again. The translocation has not occurred yet.

In August 2005, ground and aerial surveys conducted under the direction of African Parks Foundation and the African Rhino Specialist Group (ARSG) have only found four animals. A solitary adult male and a group of one adult male and two adult females. Efforts to locate further animals continue. In June 2008 it was reported that the species may have gone extinct since none of these four known remaining individuals has been seen since 2006.

Captive population

The captive northern white rhino population consists of only 9 animals and is maintained in two zoological institutions in the U.S.A. and the Czech Republic. However only three are capable of breeding. The zoo population is declining and is not viable. Northern whites have rarely reproduced in captivity.

Dvůr Králové Zoo

A Northern White Rhinoceros at the ZOO Dvůr Králové

The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) has some internationally coordinated breeding programmes of wild animals such as the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP). There is also a White Rhino EEP. This EEP includes only 8 individuals, of which 7 pure, of the Northern White Rhinoceros subspecies. These individuals are all located in the Dvůr Králové Zoo in Dvůr Králové nad Labem, Czech Republic.

• Nesari, female wild born at Shambe, Sudan on 19 September 1972.
• Saut, male wild born at Shambe, Sudan on 19 September 1972.
• Sudan, male wild born at Shambe, Sudan on 19 September 1973.
• Suni, male born at Dvůr Králové Zoo, Czech Republic on 8 June 1980.
• Nabire, female born at Dvůr Králové Zoo, Czech Republic on 15 November 1983.
• Najin, female born at Dvůr Králové Zoo, Czech Republic on 11 July 1989.
• Fatu, female born at Dvůr Králové Zoo, Czech Republic on 29 June 2000.

The zoo holds one hybrid female. The mother of this female was a Northern White Rhino (C. s. cottoni), but the father was a Southern White Rhino (C. s. simum) named Arthur.

• Nasi, female born at Dvůr Králové Zoo, Czech Republic on 11 November 1977.

San Diego Wild Animal Park

The San Diego Wild Animal Park in San Diego, California, U.S.A. has three Northern White Rhinos , all of which were wild-caught. They are females named Nola and Nadi. Their male is named Angalifu. Nola is not fertile, and Nadi is not behaviorally receptive, so this captive population is not breeding. Angalifu is the last known male Northern White Rhino left.

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Carcaterísticas

White Rhinoceros in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya.

The White Rhinoceros is the world's largest land mammal after the elephants. It has a massive body and large head, a short neck and broad chest. The head and body length is 3.4 to 4.2 m (11 to 13.75 ft), with the tail adding another 50 to 70 cm (20 to 27.5 in). The shoulder height is 150-185 cm (59-73 inches). Weight typically ranges from 1,440 to 3,600 kg (3,168 to 7,920 lbs), with the male being slightly heavier. The record-sized White Rhinoceros was about 4500 kg (10,000 lb).. On its snout it has two horns made of keratin, rather than bone as in deer antlers. The front horn is larger that the other horn and averages 89.9 cm (35 inches) in length and can reach 150 cm (59 inches). The White Rhinoceros also has a noticeable hump on the back of its neck which supports its large head. Each of the rhino's four stumpy feet has three toes. The colour of this animal ranges from yellowish brown to slate grey. The only hair on them is on the ear fringes and tail bristles. White Rhinos have the distinctive flat broad mouth which is used for grazing.

White Rhinos have three distinct toes.

Its ears can move independently to pick up more sounds but it depends most of all on smell. The olfactory passages which are responsible for smell are larger than their entire brain.

Comportamento

White Rhinoceros are found in grassland and savannah habitat. Herbivore grazers that eat grass, preferring the shortest grains, the White Rhino is one of the largest pure grazers. Regularly it drinks twice a day if water is available, but if conditions get dry it can live four or five days without water. It spends about half of the day eating, one third resting, and the rest of the day doing various other things. White Rhinos, like all species of rhino, love wallowing in mudholes to cool down.

White rhino female with a young at Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa .

White rhinos can produce sounds which include a panting contact call, grunts and snorts during courtship, squeals of distress, and deep bellows or growls when threatened. Threat displays (in males mostly) include wiping its horn on the ground and a head-low posture with ears back, combined with snarl threats and shrieking if attacked. The White Rhino is quick and agile and can run 30 mph (50 km/h).

White Rhinos can live in a crash or herd of up to 14 animals (usually mostly female). Sub-adult males will congregate, often in association with an adult female. Most adult bulls are solitary. Dominant bulls mark their territory with excrement and urine. The dung is laid in well defined piles. It may have 20-30 of these piles to alert passing rhinos that it's his territory. Another way of marking their territory is wiping his horns on bushes or the ground and scrapes with its feet before urine spraying. They do this around 10 times an hour while patrolling territory. The same ritual as urine marking except without spraying is also commonly used. The territorial male will scrape-mark every 30 yards or so around its territory boundary. Subordinate males do not mark territory. The most serious fights break out over mating rights over a female. Female territory is overlapped extensively and they do not defend it.

Reprodução

Young rhino with mother at Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve, Johannesburg .

Females reach sexually maturity 6-7 years while males reach sexual maturity at a later date which is 10-12 years of age. Courtship is often a difficult affair. The male stays beyond the point where the female acts aggressively and will give out a call when approaching her. The male chases and or blocks the way of the female while squealing or wailing loudly if the female tries to leave his territory. When ready to mate the female curls its tail and gets into a stiff stance during the half hour copulation. Breeding pairs stay together between 5-20 days before they part their separate ways. Gestation occurs around 16-18 months. A single calf is born and weighs between 40 and 65 kilograms (90 and 140 pounds) and are unsteady for their first 2 to 3 days of life. When threatened the baby will run in front of the mother. The mother is very protective of her calf and will fight for her baby vigorously. Weaning starts at 2 months and may continue suckling for over 12 months. The birth interval for the White Rhino is between 2 and 3 years. Before giving birth the mother will chase off her current calf. White Rhinos can live to be up to 40-50 years old. Adult White Rhinos have no natural predators due to their size, and even young rhinos are rarely preyed on due to the mother's presence.

Distribuição geográfica e habitat

The northern subspecies is now only found in the Republic of Congo while the southern subspecies or majority of white rhino live in southern Africa. 98.5% of white rhino occur in just five countries (South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda). Almost at the edge of extinction in the early 20th century, the southern subspecies has made a tremendous comeback. In 2001 it was estimated that there were 11,670 white rhinos in the wild with a further 777 in captivity worldwide, making it the most common Rhino in the world. By the end of 2007 wild-living Southern White Rhino had increased to an estimated 17,480 animals (IUCN 2008).

Like the black rhino, the White Rhino is under threat from habitat loss and poaching, most recently by Janjaweed. The horn is mostly used for traditional medicine although there are no health benefits from the horn; the horn is also used for traditional necklaces. A recent population count in the Republic Congo turned up only 10 rhinos left in the wild, which led conservationists on January 15, 2005 to propose airlifting White Rhinos from Garamba into Kenya. Although official approval was initially obtained, resentment of foreign interference within the Congo has prevented the airlift from happening as of the beginning of 2006. On June 12, 2007 poachers shot the last 2 rhinos in Zambia, injuring one and killing the other. They had removed the horn off the deceased rhino.

Distribution of Northern White Rhino

The Northern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), formerly ranged over parts of north-western Uganda, southern Chad, south-western Sudan, the eastern part of Central African Republic, and north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The only confirmed population today occurs in north-eastern DRC.

Poachers reduced their population from 500 to 15 in the 1970s and 1980s. By the early 1990s through mid 2003 the population recovered to more than 32 animals. Surveys in 2000 indicated that the population has started recovering with 30 animals confirmed in 2000 with up to a possible six others. Between 2003 and 2006 poaching had intensified and reduced the wild population to only 5 to 10 animals. According to the WWF, there are now only four Northern White Rhinos left in the wild, however in June 2008 it was reported that the species may have gone extinct.

Garamba National Park

The last surviving population of wild Northern white rhinos are all located in Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Recent civil wars and disruptions have been cause for much concern about the status of this last surviving population.

In January 2005, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) approved a two-part plan for the translocation of five northern white rhino from Garamba National Park to a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya. The second part commits the Government and its international partners to increase conservation efforts in Garamba, so that the northern white rhinos can be returned when it is safe again. The translocation has not occurred yet.

In August 2005, ground and aerial surveys conducted under the direction of African Parks Foundation and the African Rhino Specialist Group (ARSG) have only found four animals. A solitary adult male and a group of one adult male and two adult females. Efforts to locate further animals continue. According to Newsweek ("Extinction Trade," March 10, 2008) there were only 2 northern white rhinos alive in Garamba - "a death sentence for that population."

White rhinos in zoos

Most white rhinos in zoos are southern white rhinos. The San Diego Wild Animal Park in San Diego, California, U.S.A. had three Northern White Rhinos, all of which were wild-caught. Only a female named Nola, and a male named Angalifu remain after the second female, Nadi, died in late May 2007 from what was believed to be old age. Nola is not fertile, and Nadi was not behaviorally receptive, so this captive population is not breeding.

Angalifu is the last known male Northern White Rhino in existence. A massive effort between the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Czech Republic to get as much of Angalifu's semen to the female Rhinos in captivity in the Czech Republic to hopefully reproduce in the last effort to save this subspecies.

There are also a few southern white rhinos at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida.

In Brevard county FL, the Brevard Zoo is home to four white rhinos. Two males, Howard and Max along with two females. They are located across from the giraffe feeding platform. The largest of the group is Max, weighing in right below 6,000 lbs.

The Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico has five southern white rhinos. Werribee Open Range Zoo in Werribee, Australia has five southern white rhinos, and has shipped two to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo.

Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden has four southern white rhinos, one born recently, on September 22 2008. The baby is the first one in the World being born using cryoconservated sperm. Its older sister, born in the beginning of 2007, Layla was the first rhino conceived through artificial insemination. The newborn baby and its mother can be watched through webcam.

References

• Emslie, R. and Brooks, M. (1999), African Rhino. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan., ISBN 2831705029, IUCN/SSC African Rhino Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK 

External links

• White Rhino Info & White Rhino Pictures on the Rhino Resource Center website.
• White Rhino entry on International Rhino Foundation website.
• White Rhino entry on World Wide Fund for Nature website.
• White Rhinoceros entry on IUCN Red List.
• Honolulu Zoo
• San Diego Zoo
• Philadelphia Zoo
• Narrated video about the White Rhinoceros
• White Rhino description
• First test tube White Rhinoceros born at Budapest Zoo
• Poachers kill one of last two white rhinos in Zambia
• Rhino Webcam at Zoo Budapest

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RINOCEORNTE NEGRO

Burmeister/Muvuca zoológica
Classificação científica
Reino:	Animalia
Filo:	Chordata
Classe:	Mammalia
Infraclasse:	Placentalia
Ordem:	Perissodactyla
Família:	Rhinocerotidae
Gênero:	Diceros
Espécies:	D. bicornis
Nome binomial
Diceros bicornis (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), also colloquially Black Rhino, is a species of rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Although the Rhino is referred to as black, it is actually more of a grey/brown/white color in appearance. The name of the species was chosen to distinguish it from the White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). This is misleading, as those two species are not really distinguishable by color. The word white in the name "White Rhinoceros" derives from the Afrikaans word for "wide" rather than the color white. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) announced on 7 July2006 that one of the four subspecies, the West African Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes), has been tentatively declared as extinct. About 3600 Black Rhinoceros exist in the world.

Taxonomy and naming

There are four subspecies of the black rhinoceros:

• South-central (Diceros bicornis minor) which are the most numerous, and once ranged from central Tanzaand eastern South Africa.
• South-western (Diceros bicornis are better adapted to the arid and semi-arid savannas of Namibia, southern Angola, western Botswana and western South Africa.
• East African (Diceros bicornis michaeli) which had a historic distribution from south Sudan, Ethiopia, [[down through Kenya into north-central Tanzania. lim primarily to Tanzania.
• West African (Diceros bicornis longipes) is an extinct subspecies. Historically, it once occurred across most of the west Anorthern Cameroon, but on July 8 2006 the World Conservation Union declared the subspecies to be tentatively extinct.

Description

An adult Black Rhinoceros stands 140–170 cm (57.9–63 inches) high at the shoulder and is 3.3-3.6 m (10.8–11.8 feet) in length. An adult weighs from 800 to 1364 kg (1,760 to 3,000 lb), but sometimes grows up to 1818 kg (4,000 lb), The females are smaller than the males. Two horns on the skull are made of keratin with the larger front horn typically 50 cm long, exceptionally up to 140 cm.

Black rhino in Ngorongoro crater

The longest known horn measured nearly 1.5 m (5 feet) in length. Sometimes, a third smaller horn may develop. These horns are used for defense, intimidation, and digging up roots and breaking branches during feeding. Skin color depends more on local soil conditions and the rhinoceros' wallowing behavior than anything else, so many black rhinos are typically not truly black in color. The Black Rhino is much smaller than the White Rhino, and has a long, pointed, and prehensile upper lip, which it uses to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding. White Rhinoceros have square lips used for eating grass. The Black Rhinoceros can also be recognized from the White Rhinoceros by its smaller skull and ears. Black Rhinoceros also do not have a distinguishing shoulder hump like the White Rhinoceros.

Their thick layered skin protects the rhino from thorns and sharp grasses. Their skin harbors many external parasites, such as crabs, which are eaten by oxpeckers and egrets that live with the rhino. They have terrible eyesight, relying more on hearing and smell. They have large ears that rotate much like satellite dishes to detect any sound and a large nose that has an excellent sense of smell to detect predators.

Distribution

Black rhino grazing

For most of the 20th century the continental black rhino was the most numerous of all rhino species. Around 1900 there were probably several hundred thousand living in Africa. During the later half of the 20th century their number severely reduced from an estimated 70,000 in the late 1960s to only 10,000 to 15,000 in 1981. In the early 1990s the number dipped below 2500, and in 2004 it was reported that only 2,410 black rhinos remained. According to the International Rhino Foundation, the total African population has since then slightly recovered to 3,610 by 2003. According to a July 2006 report by the World Conservation Union, a recent survey of the West African Black Rhino, which once ranged across the savannahs of western Africa but had dropped to just 10, concluded the subspecies to be extinct. The northern white is soon to join the western black rhino on the extinction list as its last noted numbers were as few as 4. The only rhino that has recovered somewhat from the brink of extinction is the southern white whose numbers now are estimated around 14,500, up from fewer than 50 in the first decade of the 20th Century. The Black Rhinoceros has been pushed to the brink of extinction by illegal poaching for their horn and by loss of habitat. The horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine, and is said by herbalists to be able to revive comatose patients and cure fevers. The purported effectiveness of the use of rhino horn in treating any illness has not been confirmed by medical science. In June of 2007, the first-ever documented case of the medicinal sale of black rhino horn in the United States (confirmed by genetic testing of the confiscated horn) occurred at a Traditional Chinese Medicine supply store in Portland, Oregon's Chinatown. It is used in the Middle East to make ornately carved handles for ceremonial daggers called jambiyas. Demand for these exploded in the 1970s causing the Black Rhinoceros population to decline 96% between 1970 and 1992. There is an episode of the series MacGyver (Episode 8 of the 5th season) called Black Rhino that show the problem regarding the rhino horns in that time (1989) and Richard Dean Anderson comment at the end that something has to be made to stop the rhino horns commerce or by the year 2000 there will be no Black Rhinos.

Behaviour

Solitary animals with the exception of coming together to mate, mothers and calves will sometimes congregate in small groups for short periods of time. Males are not as sociable as females, although they will sometimes allow the presence of other rhinos. They are not very territorial and often intersect other rhino territories. Home ranges vary depending on season and the availability of food and water. Generally they have smaller home ranges and larger density in habitats that have plenty of food and water available, and vice versa if resources are not readily available. In the Serengeti home ranges are around 43 to 133 km², while in the Ngorongoro it is between 2.6 to 44 km². Black Rhinos have also been observed to have a certain area they tend to visit and rest frequently called "houses" which are usually on a high ground level.

The Black Rhino has a reputation for being extremely aggressive. They attack out of fear, confusion and panic. Due to their very poor eyesight they will charge if they sense a threat. They have even been observed to charge tree trunks and termite mounds. Black Rhinoceros are not very aggressive towards others of their species, usually only bluffing aggression. Males will fight sometimes by pushing head to head or horn jousting. They usually avoid other males when possible. Females are not aggressive towards each other. Despite their aggression, adult Black Rhinos have no natural predators, outside of an unverified incident of a huge Nile crocodile taking one down.

Black Rhinoceros follow the same trails as elephants use to get from foraging areas to water holes. They also use smaller trails when they are browsing. They are very fast and can get up to speeds of 56 km/h (35 miles per hour) running on their toes{{carece de fontes}}.

Diet

The Black Rhinoceros is a herbivorous browser that eats leafy plants, branches, shoots, thorny wood bushes and fruit. Their diet helps to reduce the amount of woody plants which results in more grasses growing for the benefit of other animals. Its been known to eat up to 220 different species of plant. It can live up to 5 days without water during drought. Black Rhinos live in primarily grasslands, savannahs and tropical bushland habitats.

They browse for food in the morning and evening. In the hottest part of the day they are most inactive spent resting, sleeping and wallowing in the mud. Wallowing is an essential part of all rhino species lives. It helps cool down their body temperature during the day and protects against parasites. If mud is not available they will resort to wallowing in dust. Drinking water is most commonly done towards the afterhours. When Black Rhinos browse they use their lips to strip the branches of their leaves.

Communication

Predefinição:Citations missing Many forms of communication are exhibited by these animals. Due to their bad eyesight and solitary nature, scent marking is often used to identify other Black Rhinos. Urine spraying occurs on trees and bushes, around water holes and feeding areas. Females urine spray more often when receptive for breeding. Defecation occurs in the same spot used by many different rhinos found around feeding stations, watering tracks, and other areas. These are very important for identifying each other. Coming upon these spots, rhinos will smell to see who is in the area and add their own marking. Less commonly they will rub their head or horn against tree trunks to scent mark.

Different types of complex vocalizations have also been observed. Growls and trumpets may be used during a fight. A long snort indicates anger, while sneeze-like calls are used as an alarm to danger. Short snorts with pricked ears and wrinkled nostrils are a startled reaction to a newcomer. A high-pitched wonk has been described for when they are fearful. Even worse is a high-pitched scream observed in times of terror. "Mmwonk", a deep, resonant sound is a sign of contentment. Squeak, done with different tones and intonations can mean "I'm lost", "Where are you?", "I'm over here", and other emotions that are not yet understood. Breathing speeds can be used to communicate greetings, anxiety, and reassurance. A puffing snort is a common greeting when males and females encounter one another.

Body language is the least important of Black Rhinoceros communications. A bull will sometimes display an aggressive ritual towards a potential rival. They will smell, spray repeatedly, scrape, trample, and bash with their heads in bushes. They may also snort in an attack posture. When their tail is up, it may indicate one of several things: curiosity, alarm, or sexual receptivity. Erect ears also indicate curiosity, though flat ears express anger.

Reproduction

Black Rhino in Zürich zoo

The adults are solitary in nature, coming together only for mating. Mating does not have a seasonal pattern but births tend to be towards the end of the rainy season in drier environments.

When in season the females will scrape their vaginas more vigorously with dung piles. Males following females that are in season will follow her; when she defecates he will scrape and spread the dung, making it more difficult for any other adult males to pick up her scent trail.

Courtship behaviors before mating include snorting and sparring with the horns among males. Another courtship behavior is called bluff and bluster, where the rhino will snort and swing its head from side to side aggressively before running away repeatedly. Breeding pairs stay together for 2–3 days and sometimes even weeks. They mate several times a day over this time and copulation lasts for a half an hour.

The gestation period is 15 to 16 months. The single calf weighs about 35–50 kg at birth, and can follow its mother around after just three days. Weaning occurs at around 2 years of age for the offspring. The mother and calf stay together for 2–3 years until the next calf is born; female calves may stay longer, forming small groups. The young are occasionally taken by hyenas and lions. Sexual maturity is reached from 5–7 years old for females, and 7–8 years for males. The life expectancy in natural conditions (without poaching pressure) is from 35 – 50 years.

References

• Emslie, R. and Brooks, M. (1999), African Rhino. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, ISBN 2831705029, IUCN/SSC African Rhino Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK 
• Rookmaaker, L. C. (2005), «Review of the European perception of the African rhinoceros», Journal of Zoology, 265 (4): 365–376, doi:10.1017/S0952836905006436 

External links

• Black Rhino Info & Black Rhino Pictures on the Rhino Resource Center website.
• The International Rhino Foundation dedicated to the conservation of rhinos http://www.rhinos-irf.org/
• «Black Rhinos Fact Sheet; developed for the San Diego Zoological Society Intranet». Consultado em 9 de outubro de 2007 
• «Black Rhinoceros» (PDF). Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales. Consultado em 9 de outubro de 2007 
• www.savetherhino.org
• WildLifeNow Website for the Tony Fitzjohn/George Adamson African Wildlife Preservation Trust, supporting the Mkomazi Game Reserve and Mkomazi Rhino Sanctuary in Tanzania
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Species Profile