Black Rhino Pictures

The pride of any wildlife photographer's portfolio would be a few black rhino pictures. It is a critically endangered species and because of their low numbers, not often spotted in the wild.

Black Rhino

Black Rhino - "don't mess with me"!

When you do find one, keep a safe distance - better yet stay in your vehicle or behind your guide - as the black rhino has a short fuse! They are unpredictable and will charge unsuspecting fellow animals at the drop of a hat. Lucky for the victims, they will often abort the charge just as quickly and without reason.

It is thought their bad eyesight has something to do with this strange behaviour. They are also more at edge when they have a calf or when you get between them and the water when they're thirsty.

Where Can Black Rhino Pictures be taken?

A few decades ago the answer would be a list of zoo's, but fortunately due to the fantastic conservation work done at the Umfolozi-Hluhluwe Reserve in Natal, South Africa, their numbers have increased slightly and although still critically in need of protection, are a little more widespread.

Additional South African reserves where the black rhino can be found, are the Addo Elephant Park and the Kruger National Park (southern and central regions).

This solitary mammal also occurs in Namibia's Etosha game reserve. Because of the extreme heat there, a lot of animals that are traditionally diurnal (including the black rhino) only really come out at night.

Rumour has it though that some black rhinos regularly make use of the waterhole at Okaukuejo camp, which is floodlit at night and where you can try your luck to add a couple of black rhino pictures to your photo collection.

Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park is also host to this rare beast. North Luangwa reserve in Zambia has a few black rhinos too although poaching is still a big problem there.

Personally, I have only ever seen one black rhino in the wild, and that was during a walking safari in the Kruger National Park. What an amazing experience!

Black Rhino Facts

The black and white rhino are in fact of similar grey colour, and both sport two horns. At 1.5 tons, the black rhino is about half the weight of the white, but the best way to tell them apart is by their lips.

The white rhino has a square lip designed to eat grass, while the black rhino's lip look somewhat like that of the tortoise... the prehensile upper lip is elongated and overlaps the lower lip - perfect for plucking leaves, twigs and bark off trees and bushes.

Because of the difference in their diet, their posture is different too. The white rhino usually has its head down while the black rhino keeps his head up, in line with his back.