The eastern black rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis michaeli''), also known as the East African black rhinoceros, is a subspecies of the

black rhinoceros The black rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis''), also called the black rhino or the hooked-lip rhinoceros, is a species of rhinoceros native to East Africa, East and Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Moza ...

. Its numbers are very low due to

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

for its horn, and it is listed as critically endangered.

Description

The eastern black rhino is distinguishable from the southern subspecies as it has a longer, leaner, and more curved horn. Its skin is also very grooved. ''Diceros bicornis michaeli'' is also reportedly more aggressive than the other three subspecies of black rhino. They are browsers and are usually found in highland

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

and

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

Population and threats

Once located in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

and

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, as of 2017 they can only be found in Kenya (594 animals),

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

and in northern Tanzania (80 animals). A population of currently 60 animals is kept outside its natural range in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

( Addo Elephant National Park). The population has declined 90% in the last three generations. In 2010 their total numbers were estimated at 740 animals, with an increasing trend. They are threatened mainly from illegal poaching for their horns. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

figures for ''Diceros bicornis michaeli'' also include those for black rhinos from

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, southwestern Ethiopia and western Kenya. These are referred to a separate subspecies ('' Diceros bicornis ladoensis'') by some authorities. As the black rhinoceros population is extirpated in most of these areas, the status of the latter subspecies is unclear. Some animals of the Kenyan population may belong to it. These black rhinos were examined by Benson and others through the Kenya Wildlife Service and had an article published by the African Journal of Ecology (Benson, 1, 791). Each individual rhino's relationship concerning “density dependence...sex ratio, and underlying growth rates” was the team's main focus. The rhino began increasing its population growth to the point when growth rate was nonexistent. Eastern black rhinos in general are currently listed as threatened under the Conservation Status for a number of factors, but mainly due to illegal poaching. The 90% decline in their population is a hazard as mortality rates increase, as is consistent emigration (Primack, 2002). The reason why the rhino increases its densities and their birth rate decreases is because of the continuous threat of poaching and emigration. Sex ratio brings about reproduction issues because the male numbers begin to dominate, leaving too low of a number of females to allow positive, consistent birth and growth rates (Benson, 2, 792).

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20061230061020/http://www.rhinos-irf.org/rhinoinformation/blackrhino/subspecies/eastern.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20071011002729/http://www.rhinos-irf.org/ (International Rhino Fund dedicated to the conservation of rhinos) {{Taxonbar, from=Q1636312 Black rhinoceros Mammals described in 1965