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Box 1
The Current Range of Africa's Rhinos
Four subspecies of black or hook-lipped rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) are recognized today. Their scientific names and current distribution under free-ranging conditions are as follows:
Diceros bicornis bicornis | Namibia, South Africa |
Diceros bicornis longipes | Cameroon |
Diceros bicornis michaeli | Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa*, Tanzania |
Diceros bicornis minor | Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe |
The white or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) has two subspecies, the southern and the northern white rhino:
Ceratotherium simum simum | Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire*, Kenya*, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Ceratotherium simum cottoni | Democratic Republic of Congo |
Although all rhinos are herbivores, the black rhinoceros is principally a browser, using its prehensile upper lip to grasp stems and branches, whilst the white rhino is a grazer, preferring more open habitats.
* countries outside the known historic range of the subspecies.
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