Rhinos will let you know if they are upset. They will curl up their tail. Once they relax their tail will relax and swing from side to side 😊
Have a good week!
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Enjoy this video record of the highlight of tonight‘s Lock Down Safari: An encounter between White Rhinos and a Black Rhino. Stay home and stay safe!
PS: Check out my lock-down site for kiddies – with a new animal pictures every day – http://www.wildlife4kids.com and Thanda Safari’s special pop-up site at http://www.thandatales.co.za
#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari
When we were looking for Rhinos in the South of Thanda Private Game Reserve we came across some very rare guests.
A few Woodland Kingfisher were displaying to one another in the Fever Trees along the Mduna River.
A little later found a female White Rhinoceros and her calf and ended the game drive with gin&tonics – enjoying a beautiful summer evening in the bush!
The morning game drive was very quiet. The cold morning air combined with wind had driven most animals into thick bush. But we had an early morning sighting of this juvenile Bateleur (Eagle). His puffed up feathers suggest that he was a bit cold!
He is at the stage where his plumage turns from the brownish colors of the juvenile bird to the black, brown and white design of the the adult. The morning drive ended with a Cheetah sighting on the savanna.
In the afternoon we saw a herd of Buffalo, White Rhinos and an Elephant Bull. This young Rhino bull was part of a crash of seven animals. I enjoyed his facial expression and his groans when he gave himself a good scratch – Pure Bliss.
[View all Pictures of the Week 2012]
This is a picture of a Black Rhino browsing in the rain at Phinda Private Game Reserve, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.
If you would like to order a print of this image go to http://www.sperka.biz/potw2012/h31e582f6#h31e582f6
The first time I took pictures of a Black Rhino mock-charging our car I did not take pictures 🙂  My adrenaline level was high and I had visions of a horn coming through the side of the car.  But, after a few of these “show” attacks I was able to get these pictures.
For more Black Rhino pictures go to www.sperka.biz/blackrhino
Picture Data (Browsing in the Rain):
Canon 1D Mark II, Canon L 100-400mm at 400mm, Freehand from vehicle, Mode AV, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/125sec, Exposure compensation +/-0eV, AWB, Focus center point only
About Black Rhinoceros:
The Black Rhinoceros or Hook-lipped Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), is a species of Rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. The species overall is classified as critically endangered, and one subspecies, the Western Black Rhinoceros, was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011.
An adult Black Rhinoceros stands 132–180 cm (52–71 in) high at the shoulder and is 2.8–3.8 m (9.2–12 ft) in length. An adult typically weighs from 800 to 1,400 kg (1,800 to 3,100 lb), however unusually large male specimens have been reported at up to 2,900 kg (6,380 lb).
Females are smaller than the males. Two horns on the skull are made of keratin. These horns are used for defense, intimidation, and digging up roots and breaking branches during feeding. The Black Rhino is smaller than the White Rhino, and has a long, pointed, and prehensile upper lip, which it uses to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding.
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