 Reference Base  The mammals of the southern African subregion, new edition |
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| Location: |
World |
| Subject: |
Ecology - Population |
| Species: |
Black Rhino |
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Black rhinoceros are not strictly territorial in the sense of defending delimited areas against others of their species, but each adult does tend to remain within a specific home range which may overlap with the home ranges of other members of the population. The size of a bull rhinoceros' home range and its location (relative to waterpoints, female home ranges and other features of importance to the species), is determined by the dominance status of the individual, the establishment of which may involve some fighting when the animals are living at medium to high densities in typical bushveld situations (du Toit, pers. comm.).
The size of their home ranges differs according to sex, age and the type of habitat, immature animals usually occupying larger areas than adults. In the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, Hitchins (1969) found that the size of the home range varied according to the nature of the habitat. Where there is a high proportion of thicket and dense stands of woody plants, a young female had a home range of some 3 000 ha in Umfolozi (Emslie & Adcock, 1990a). In Hluhluwe, Hitchins found home ranges to be smaller at 500 to 750 ha. Hitchins (1969) found that they do not occupy territories in the sense of areas exclusively held and defended against other black rhinoceros. Joubert (1969) believed that in Namibia the size of the home range varies with the density of the population as well as the availability of food and cover. Where their feeding areas are far from water, they are nomadic in habit and will share tracks, feeding and resting sites and water supplies with others. Loutit (1984) estimated the home range size as about 500 km? in Kaokoland.
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