Template:Friend of the Week

The Black Rhinoceros is a species of rhino native to Africa. A herbivorous grazer, the Black Rhinoceros seems to have a preference for better food, rather than quantity of food, and will move grazing areas accordingly. The horn of the Black Rhinoceros has a specific chemical composition that can change based on the diet of the rhino owning the horn, and is sometimes used to identify what rhino a horn came from. The thick skin of the Black Rhinoceros is home to all kinds of insects. While it was previously thought that the Black Rhinoceros and the Red-billed oxpecker had a mutually beneficial relationship (the oxpecker eating the bugs living on the rhino), it was discovered in 2000 that the presence of oxpeckers doesn’t make a difference in bug population, and that the presence of oxpeckers increased time taken to heal wounds, making the relationship a little less cut and dry.

And now, unfortunately, the sad part. The Black Rhinoceros, the most populous species of Rhinoceros in the early 1900s, has dwindled from hundreds of thousands at the dawn of the 20th century to just 5000 today. Threats to the Black Rhinoceros include habitat destruction, competition with elephants for food as a result of this habitat destruction, and poachers. So, how can you help? For one, avoid buying any products containing Rhinoceros horn. Demand for this product is what created the poachers killing the rhinos. You can also inform yourself and donate here[|here] (although the lowest level of donation might be a little high for the average person). Even if you can’t help directly, any of awareness helps! What a strong friend!