Nature of the Black Rhino

Bad-tempered, aggressive?

Black rhinos have a reputation for being bad-tempered, but they're actually just shy and inquisitive. They will investigate anything strange in their surroundings, and tend to run towards a disturbance - possibly because they can't see well from far away.

Though they usually run off as soon as they smell a human, it's a good idea to climb a tree if you come across a black rhino. Some individual rhinos are very nervous and a female with a calf can charge anything she considers a potential threat.

Encounters between neighbouring black rhinos are not usually aggressive unless males are competing for a female. Sometimes, though, established black rhinos kill newcomers so introductions to new areas are usually done simultaneously. This way, the animals are more likely to sort out territory without fighting.

Lone rangers
Black Rhinos tend to live solitary lives, but temporary aggregations of up to a dozen individuals have been observed, with longer-term associations between mothers and daughters.

They do much of their feeding and drinking during the cool hours of the night. When it's hot, they like breezy ridges of hills, the shade of trees or thicket, or a muddy spot in a wallow.