Diceros bicornis ssp. longipes (Western Black Rhino)

[sebbe67]

Map of West Africa showing localities where rhinos have been noted. From Rookmaaker (2004)

www.rhinoresourcecenter.com

[sebbe67]

Young male rhinoceros shot by Fritz Holstein near Demssa, north of Gurua in North Cameroon. Illustrated by Zukowsky 1949 in the original description of Diceros bicornis longipes


Black rhino male, shot by Fritz Holstein north of Garua in Northern Cameroon. The photo is undated, possibly ca. 1948

www.rhinoresourcecenter.com

[sebbe67]

Skull of female black rhino. Holotype of Diceros bicornis longipes. The animal was shot by Adolf Friedrich zu Mecklenburg on 9 January 1911 near Mogrum in the Schari area. Museum Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main, no. 766 (839) A 54 (4440)

www.rhinoresourcecenter.com

[another specialist]

PDF file on rhinos may be of interest

www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/ref_files/1178937328.pdf

[another specialist]

Several lines of action as far as Diceros bicomis taxonomy is concerned seem required by the
present analysis. The first is the description, after further thoroughgoing study. of the
Luangwa Valley (Zambia) population as a separate subspecies. This would increase the
number of subspecies to 8, unless it be deemed unnecessary to maintain D.b. [adoensis,
being a clinal variant of the large East Afrfcan subspecies. Skulls from Zululand need to be
measured to ascertain precisely what D.b. minor actually is; and skulls from various parts of
East. Southeast and Southwest Africa must be compared to both Zululand and Kariba
samples to decide just which populations are D.b. minor and which are not. The next
analysis, based one hopes on more and larger samples. should leave ungrouped the skulls
here lumped as Group 7 (Arusha), as inferentially this sample spanned the border between
D.b. michaeli and "minor". Dental characters now appear to vary geographically within the
species to a greater extent than was formerly appreciated (Rookmaaker & Groves, 1978). and
it may turn out that no East African rhinos are actually D.b. minor.
Postcranial skeletons are of significance too: available photographs of D-b. longipes certainly
make it look long-legged, but the proposition needs to be tested with actual specimens. The
horn character attributed to this subspecies by Zukowsky (1949) was supported on the
basis of a single specimen by Groves (1971). and a further specimen seen in the Marseille
Museum again has the character [very markedly so, in fact); but this too requires testing on
further material.

www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/ref_files/1178937328.pdf

[another specialist]

THE BLACK RHINO NEEDS A TAXONOMIC REVISION FOR SOUND CONSERVATION
BY KEES ROOKMAAKER

www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/ref_files/1175861690.pdf

[another specialist]

Bibliography of the Rhinoceros
By L. C. Rookmaaker

[another specialist]

African Rhino
By Richard Emslie, Martin Brooks

[another specialist]

[sebbe67]

Probable extinction of the western black rhino, Diceros bicornis
longipes: 2006 survey in northern Cameroon

www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/ref_files/1206089115.pdf

[surroundx]

"The species has seen a dramatic drop in population numbers and genetic diversity in recent years. Many of the subspecies are now extinct; the Southern Black Rhinoceros, the North-Eastern Black Rhinoceros, the Chobe Black Rhinoceros, and the Western Black Rhinoceros, are all extinct. The remaining <sub>species are of very limited genetic stock and will likely face significant problems because of this, including: inbreeding and the problems that accompany this, increased susceptibility to disease, loss of adaptability to changing environments/climate, etc."

Read more at planetsave.com/2013/04/27/black-rhino-still-near-extinction-western-subspecies-still-extinct-pictures-of-a-disappearing-animal/#j9GwwmylEjWD7WX0.99</sub>

[Melanie]

peoplesworld.org/western-black-rhino-declared-extinct/

[Sebbe]

Impacts of taxonomic inertia for the conservation of African ungulate diversity: an overview

We review the state of African ungulate taxonomy over the last 120 years, with an emphasis on the introduction of the polytypic species concept and the discipline's general neglect since the middle of the 20th century. We single out negative consequences of 'orthodox' taxonomy, highlighting numerous cases of neglect of threatened lineages, unsound translocations that led to lineage introgression, and cases of maladaptation to local conditions including parasitic infections. Additionally, several captive breeding programmes have been hampered by chromosome rearrangements caused by involuntary lineage mixing. We advocate that specimen-based taxonomy should regain its keystone role in mammal research and conservation biology, with its scientific values augmented with genomic evidence. While integration with molecular biology, ecology and behaviour is needed for a full understanding of ungulate alpha diversity, we stress that morphological diversity has been neglected despite its tremendous practical importance for some groups of 'utilizers' such as trophy hunters, wildlife tourists and conservationists. We conclude that there is no evidence that purported 'taxonomic inflation' has adverse effects on ungulate conservation: rather, it is taxonomic inertia that has such adverse effects. We stress that sound science, founded on robust taxonomy, should underpin effective sustainable management (hunting, ranching, captive breeding and reintroduction programmes) of this unique African natural resource.

Available from: www.researchgate.net/publication/316365324_Impacts_of_taxonomic_inertia_for_the_conservation_of_African_ungulate_diversity_an_overview [accessed May 12, 2017].

[surroundx]

Lalonde, Emily and Mahoney, Hannah. (2019). Diceros bicornis longipes as a tool to test species de-extinction using somatic cell nuclear transfer. The iScientist 4(1): 36-46.

[redpinnipedgamer]

I found about a dozen photos from the rhino resource center. All the dates and stuff are found on the site (there's like 8 more that I didn't include here.)
Photos range from 1950, 1980's and 1990's

www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/images/Africa/Western-Africa/Cameroon/l3_41/year/desc/1.php

[Sebbe]

Here is a very interesting paper which I have entirely overlooked myself. IUCN seems to agree with the conclusions made in this paper but they continue to treat it as extinct so not quite sure that to make of it
www.iucnredlist.org/species/39319/45814470#taxonomy.

Extinctions, genetic erosion and conservation options for the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis).

The black rhinoceros is again on the verge of extinction due to unsustainable poaching in its native range. Despite a wide historic distribution, the black rhinoceros was traditionally thought of as depauperate in genetic variation, and with very little known about its evolutionary history. This knowledge gap has hampered conservation efforts because hunting has dramatically reduced the species’ once continuous distribution, leaving five surviving gene pools of unknown genetic affinity. Here we examined the range-wide genetic structure of historic and modern populations using the largest and most geographically representative sample of black rhinoceroses ever assembled. Using both mitochondrial and nuclear datasets, we described a staggering loss of 69% of the species’ mitochondrial genetic variation, including the most ancestral lineages that are now absent from modern populations. Genetically unique populations in countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, Malawi and Angola no longer exist. We found that the historic range of the West African subspecies (D. b. longipes), declared extinct in 2011, extends into southern Kenya, where a handful of individuals survive in the Masai Mara. We also identify conservation units that will help maintain evolutionary potential. Our results suggest a complete re-evaluation of current conservation management paradigms for the black rhinoceros.

www.nature.com/articles/srep41417

[Sebbe]

Trending extinctions: online interest in recently extinct animals.

Half of all species are predicted to face extinction by the end of the century. Despite this, awareness of certain species' extinctions remains surprisingly muted, highlighting the need to improve and quantify public awareness. We explore the connection between biodiversity loss and public awareness by quantifying the changes in online interest on Twitter (now known as X) and Wikipedia both before and after the extinctions of eight species and following their reclassification in the IUCN Red List. Our findings reveal that extinction announcements generally spike online interest for most species, albeit briefly on Twitter (i.e. tweets and retweets about species), while Wikipedia (i.e. article pageviews of species) exhibits a more prolonged interest. IUCN reports were generally not associated with increased interest. Coordinated media coverage, especially when aligned with broader environmental narratives and key events, enhanced the impact of extinction announcements. On Twitter, spatially we observed a shift from local to global interest of users following extinction. We also found a small subset of influential users on Twitter, including content creators and media organisations, who disproportionately shaped conservation discussions. Environmentally oriented individuals and organisations also play a significant role, collectively comprising a third of the top retweeted users. Overall, these results highlight the need for conservation bodies, such as the IUCN, to engage more directly both with media organisations and content creators in order to drive public interest for conservation efforts, especially for less charismatic species. The tragedy of species extinction necessitates such efforts to ensure sustained and meaningful public awareness. Our findings also show that while social media outlets can generate global interest quickly, which may drive public discussions regarding ongoing extinctions and potential future de-extinctions, this is likely to be short-lived, underscoring the importance of alternative platforms such as Wikipedia, which can foster longer-term engagement.

zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acv.12997