There are two kinds of rhinoceros: white and black. Actually they both have a grayish skin. The only diffrence between the two is size, not color as their names suggest. The confusion is because the Dutch settlers in east Africa, where rhinoceros live, called the larger one "weit," meaning "wide," which was understood by the English settlers as "white."

The black rhinoceros lives in the bushy savanna or around the rivers of east Africa. It eats leaves, fruits, roots and shoots. When it takes its daily mud bath, it loves black marshy places. So even though it is gray, it comes out of the mud bath looking black, which probably helped it get its name. The males live alone in a marked territory. They always take the same path to go from the pasture to drink water. That's how they make trails, even in the thickest of bushes. The same trails are used by several males who mark them with their urine and always deposit their droppings in the same place.

Black rhinoceros reproduce at any time during the year. Births usually take place every 2 or 3 years. The newborn weighs about 90 pounds and is weaned only after 2 years. The young rhinoceros will reach adult height by the age of 7. The black rhinoceros is nearsighted. However, its senses of hearing and smell are well delveloped. In spite of its weight, it can charge very fast and can be dangerous if it is attacked or wounded.