Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Black rhinoceros

Black rhinoceros, Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt, Frankfurt Zoological Garden, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee, Frankfurt

Black rhinoceros
Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt (Frankfurt Zoological Garden)
Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee
Frankfurt, October 2002

“The black rhinoceros or hook-lipped rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern and southern Africa including Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Although the rhinoceros is referred to as black, its colours vary from brown to grey. The other African rhinoceros is the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). The word ‘white’ in the name ‘white rhinoceros’ is often said to be a misinterpretation of the Afrikaans word wyd (Dutch wijd) meaning wide, referring to its square upper lip, as opposed to the pointed or hooked lip of the black rhinoceros. These species are now sometimes referred to as the square-lipped (for white) or hook-lipped (for black) rhinoceros. The species overall is classified as critically endangered (even though the south-western black rhinoceros is classified as near threatened). Three subspecies have been declared extinct, including the western black rhinoceros, which was declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2011.” (Black rhinoceros, Wikipedia)

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