Black rhino calf sparring with solitary adult
Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) juvenile interacting with another larger solitary black rhino. The mother of the calf, not in the frame, observed the proceedings from a distance of less than 20 meters and from time to time intervened when the playful behaviour became a bit too boisterous. Black rhinos are browsers, which are crepuscular. Solitary individuals or mothers with calves often meet at waterholes where tensions can result in fighting especially when a female is in oestrous. Depending on circumstances rhino calves usually remain with their mothers for between two to four years. Adult black rhinos can reach a height of over 1.5 metres and can weigh up to 1400 kilograms. It is thought that In the wild males tend to become sexually active between 17 to 35 years of age. The numbers of Black rhinos in the wild have reduced considerably over the last 40 years due to poaching and the species is currently classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Filmed at a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia, Southern Africa.