D. bicornis is suggested to have evolved from this species during the Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene,[21] with the oldest definitive record at the Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary c. 2.5 million years ago at Koobi Fora, Kenya.

As with many other components of the African large mammal fauna, black rhinos probably had a wider range in the northern part of the continent in prehistoric times than today.

Petroglyphs from the Eastern Desert of southeastern Egypt relatively convincingly show the occurrence of black rhinos in these areas in prehistoric times.

[3] Its former native occurrence in the extremely dry parts of the Kalahari Desert of southwestern Botswana and northwestern South Africa is uncertain.

[4] Today it is found only in protected nature reserves, having vanished from many countries in which it once thrived, especially in the west and north of its former range.

The agreement calls for South African experts to assess the habitat, local management capabilities, security and the infrastructure before the transfer can take place.

In addition, bulls and cows have a consort relationship during mating, also subadults and young adults frequently form loose associations with older individuals of either sex.

[38] Black rhinos have also been observed to have a certain area they tend to visit and rest frequently called "houses" which are usually on a high ground level.

[42] Adult rhinos normally have no natural predators, due to their imposing size, thick skin, and deadly horns.

[47] Black rhinos are herbivorous browsers that eat leafy plants, twigs, branches, shoots, thorny wood bushes, small trees, legumes, fruit, and grass.

[48][49] The optimum habitat seems to be one consisting of thick scrub and bushland, often with some woodland, which supports the highest densities.

The black rhinoceros can also be considered a more challenging herbivore to feed in captivity compared to its grazing relatives.

Black rhinos live in several habitats including bushlands, Riverine woodland, marshes, and their least favorable, grasslands.

Horn composition has helped scientists pinpoint the original location of individual rhinos, allowing for law enforcement to more accurately and more frequently identify and penalize poachers.

[citation needed] This is a major flaw because predation should be considered when attributing cause to the poor performance of the black rhinoceros population.

[66] In 2002 only ten western black rhinos remained in Cameroon, and in 2006 intensive surveys across its putative range failed to locate any, leading to fears that this subspecies had become extinct.

Nevertheless, people continue to remove the rhino from its natural environment and allow for a dependence on human beings to save them from endangerment.

Many have considered extracting rhino horns in order to deter poachers from slaughtering these animals or potentially bringing them to other breeding grounds such as the US and Australia.

[70] The only rhino subspecies that has recovered somewhat from the brink of extinction is the southern white rhinoceros, whose numbers now are estimated around 14,500, up from fewer than 50 in the first decade of the 20th century.

[72] A January 2014 auction for a permit to hunt a black rhinoceros in Namibia sold for $350,000 at a fundraiser hosted by the Dallas Safari Club.

The auction drew considerable criticism as well as death threats directed towards members of the club and the man who purchased the permit.

[73] This permit was issued for 1 of 18 black rhinoceros specifically identified by Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism as being past breeding age and considered a threat to younger rhinos.

Civil disturbances, such as war, have made mentionably negative effects on the black rhinoceros populations in since the 1960s in countries including, but not limited to, Chad, Cameroon, Rwanda, Mozambique, and Somalia.

Both animals are browsers; however, the elephant's diet consists of a wider variety of foraging capacity, while the black rhinoceros primarily sticks to dwarf shrubs.

The black rhinoceros has been found to eat grass as well; however, the shortening of its range of available food could be potentially problematic.

They have become adjusted to ingesting less iron in the wild due to their evolutionary progression, which poses a problem when placed in captivity.

[78] A major market for rhino horn has historically been in the Middle East nations to make ornately carved handles for ceremonial daggers called jambiyas.

The horn is also used in traditional Chinese medicine, and is said by herbalists to be able to revive comatose patients, facilitate exorcisms and various methods of detoxification, and cure fevers.

[78] It is also hunted for the Chinese superstitious belief that the horns allow direct access to Heaven due to their unique location and hollow nature.

[78] The purported effectiveness of the use of rhino horn in treating any illness has not been confirmed, or even suggested, by medical science.