Black rhinoceros can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Their upper lip is pointed, helping them to eat leaves from trees and bushes, mostly at dusk, nighttime, and dawn. They generally do not have great eyesight, but their sense of smell and hearing are excellent. Black rhinos have two horns which grow as the rhino grows. Their horns are made largely out of a protein called keratin which is also the material human fingernails and hair are made out of. Also like our hair and nails, their horns will regrow if broken.
Rhinos generally have thick skin but it's also relatively sensitive. They are prone to insect bites and sunburns. To prevent this, they wallow in the mud. The mud protects their skin from the sun and the irritating bites of the bugs. It is also a good way for them to keep cool in the African heat.
The eastern black rhino is critically endangered with less than 1,000 individuals remaining combining wild and captive populations. Between 1970 and 1992, the wild population of this species has decreased by 96 percent. Rhinos are poached for their horns which are falsely perceived to have medicinal value in some cultures and for ornamental carvings.
The International Rhino Foundation helps to protect threatened rhino populations in the wild, as well as supports research improving the chances of long-term survival of all rhino species. Black rhinos remain critically endangered in the wild, but help from zoos is allowing for conservation messages to be spread all across the United States and even the globe. In May 2013, the Blank Park Zoo opened the Jaama Kwa Africa exhibit, which highlights the Prairie Meadows Rhino Savanna.
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Learn more about our conservation efforts through our HOPE for the WILD conservation series. You will have the opportunity to learn from zoo staff, field researchers, and other conservation partners on the importance of working together to save animals in the wild from extinction.