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His natural history collections were massive and he is credited with having described many “new” species as a result of his explorations. Burchell (1782-1863) was an accomplished naturalist and one of the greatest early African explorers. Another explanation is that it was first seen by William Burchell along the banks of Black Umfolozi River in South Africa.
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The name might also be a result of black being opposite of white, to distinguish between the two species of African rhino. However the color of wallowing mud can vary from yellow-brown to rust to black throughout the animals range.
BLACK RHINOCEROS SKIN
Some say it is because it is from the dark colored mud covering its skin after wallowing. Several explanations are given for the origin of the name “black” rhinoceros. The black rhino is close in color to the white rhino with a grayish brown color to its skin. It is also known as the “hook-lipped rhinoceros”, once again referring to its prehensile lip. The black rhinoceros is also commonly known as the “prehensile-lipped rhinoceros” because the upper lip is adapted to browsing on trees and shrubs and this is one of its most distinguishing characteristics. There are 4 subspecies of black rhinos the Western (Diceros bicornis longipes) Eastern (Diceros bicornis michaeli), Southwestern (Diceros bicornis bicornis) and South Central (Diceros bicornis minor). The name “rhinoceros” is derived from Greek, meaning “nose horn”. The scientific name, Diceros bicornis, originates from Greek “di” which means “two”, “ceros” which means “horn”, and from Latin “bi” which means “two” and “cornis” which means “horn”. Today there are 5 species and 11 subspecies of rhinos surviving on earth.