Adjacent to a mixed-species savanna habitat featuring giraffe, zebra, waterbuck and Thomson’s gazelle, Zoo Atlanta’s black rhino habitat is separated from the visitor side only by a stream-filled moat, allowing for close viewing. Both of Zoo Atlanta’s rhinos were born in captivity. Male Boma, whose name means “fortress” in Swahili, was born in the Czech Republic; female Rosetta Stone (Rosie) was born at the San Francisco Zoo. Congressman Newt Gingrich was instrumental in helping Zoo Atlanta acquire Boma and Rosie.

Black Rhinoceros Fact Sheet
STATUS: Critically endangered
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Vertebrata
CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Perissodactyla
FAMILY: Rhinocerotidae
GENUS: Diceros
SPECIES: bicornis

Habitat and diet
Black rhinos once ranged in great numbers throughout central and southeastern Africa. However, their current range has been severely reduced to include only game reserves in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia and South Africa, where they are typically found in tropical bushlands and savannas.

Because they are browsers and feed on leaves and twigs, black rhinos can live in
hilly areas where grass is sparse. Specially adapted prehensile lips allow them to pull vegetation from trees and shrubs.

Status in the wild
Habitat loss and poaching have contributed to the rapid decline of black rhinos, of which fewer than 4,000 remain in the wild. Rhino products like horns, skin and urine have long been prized as therapeutic cure-alls, especially in Asian cultures. Rhino horns have even been reported to be aphrodisiacs. However, there are no scientific studies supporting medicinal value in any rhino parts.

Senses
Smell is the black rhino’s most acute sense. The volume of a black rhino’s nasal passages is greater than that of its brain! Rhinos also hear very well, with large ears that swivel to locate the direction of sounds.

Sight, on the other hand, is not a black rhino’s strong suit. The animals are shortsighted, thus unable to discern detail beyond 100 feet. (Even at 30 feet, detail is limited.) Recent studies suggest that rhinos do have binocular vision despite their large noses and horns.

Horns
Black rhinos have two horns, but these are not actually horns. They consist instead of keratin, a substance similar to hair and fingernails. Rhinos use their horns for defense, digging, uprooting small trees and manipulating limbs.

Gestation
Average rhino gestation is about 15 months! Calves weigh between 55 and 90 pounds at birth.

Lifespan
30 to 40 years in captivity

Behavior
Boma and Rosie both enjoy a good mud wallow, but this behavior also serves a very important purpose. As it dries, the mud absorbs body heat while also protecting the animals from flies, ticks and lice.