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| Location: |
Africa - Eastern Africa - Tanzania |
| Subject: |
Ecology - Food |
| Species: |
Black Rhino |
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Ngorongoro, Tanzania - Diceros bicornis . Rhinos are known to browse and graze as well. Food specimens and dung were collected for subsequent analysis and determination, the results of which will be published elsewhere. In addition to the stated feeding habits, we found rhinos also to be coprophagous, i.e. dung eating, a most unusual habit in a wild herbivore. For several days a group of four animals was observed repeatedly eating wildebeest droppings. During the time these observation were made, several hundred wildebeest were feechng in the area, which, following a grass fire, had only a very short grass cover of up to three inches long. T'he rhinos selected fresh or superficially dried dung. They picked a whole heap of dung from the ground and chewed it, losing parts of it in the process, but swallowing most of it. Whilst engaged in this action, they did not feed on any plant, but walked determinedly from one dung heap to the next. The reason for this extraordinary behaviour is not known, but possibly a mineral or other deficiency is balanced in this manner.
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The rhinoceroses of Ngorongoro Crater
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