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The rhinoceros looks impressive, almost formidable, with its protruding horns and bulky, heavy armour-clad body. This large, hooved mammal belongs to the family of horses, zebras and pig-like tapirs. Rhinos are found in Zimbabwe largely confined to savannah woodlands and grasslands.

There are two species of African rhinos: the black rhino and the white rhino. Rhinos are herbivores and feed on grasses, twigs, branches, shoots and leaves of bushes and trees.

A rhino has thick, folded skin which looks like heavy armour plating, and a prominent horn which grows over middle of the nose. While most horns have a bony structure, rhino horn is made of a substance rather like human fingernails which grows directly from the skin. Black rhinos have two horns. All rhinos are grey or brown in colour and are nearly or completely hairless. Hair grows only at the tip of the tail, eyelashes and ear fringes. Rhinos’ feet have three short toes tipped with broad blunt nails.

Although rhinos have a bad reputation for being aggressive, most rhinos are gentle and timid and get startled easily. They have poor eyesight but their hearing and sense of smell are acute. If they attack, they usually rely on their sense of smell rather than sight. Heavy animals are not normally quick but the rhino, despite its bulky body, is remarkably agile! Sometimes, the African black rhino can be unpredictable, charging at any unfamiliar sound or smell. It can reach a speed of 45 kph while charging an enemy. The African rhino attacks with its horn.

Most rhinos are solitary animals; only the African white rhino sometimes lives in small herds. Rhino territory is well marked with trails bordered with urine and piles of dung. Rhinos are active in the morning, but after a long hot day they enjoy a wallow in mud to cool off

Female rhinos are old enough to have babies when they are about three years old. Males mature around seven years. Male rhinos sometimes fight over the females. Normally only one young calf is born. On rare occasions, there may be two. A baby rhino can stand quite steadily about an hour after it is born. The mother feeds the calf for about a year. The horns are visible even on small calves. It looks like a knob but by the time the baby is about five weeks old, the horn has acquired a definite shape. A baby rhino stays with its mother for two - three years before it starts living on its own.

Like most animals in the wild, rhinos usually avoid humans, but if anyone comes too close or threatens a mother and calf, the mother threatens the intruder by snorting loudly. If that does not scare the person away, the mother may charge. Because of their huge size, adult rhinos have no natural predators, although a newborn baby is at risk from hyaenas, tigers or lions. Man is the rhino’s only enemy.

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Black Rhino Prints - 20 cm long