In 2011, the western black rhino (a subspecies of the black rhino) was declared extinct, after being on the list of Critically Endangered species for over a decade. As recently as the 1900s, however, it was the most abundant of the rhinos, its population close to a million, but by 1995, only 2500 western black rhinos remained, and that number was decreasing.
The extinction of the western black rhino is blamed on hunting, mostly for their horns, which are used in making ceremonial daggers as well as in traditional Chinese medicine. Read More
The western black rhino was about 12 feet (3.7 meters) long and, like other brown rhinos, ate the leaves of plants. When it was too hot to eat, it slept or wallowed in the mud. Watch more related
