Bucky

Female rhinos reach sexual maturity around 3 years of age, but males aren’t ready for breeding until around 7. The mating process is typical of most large mammals: The male mounts the female from behind and attempts to penetrate her quickly. But the courtship ritual that precedes that mating is anything but typical. It’s violent, dangerous and complicated.

Ovulation
Female rhinos ovulate once every 28 days and are receptive to males for one or two days out of the cycle. However, a female will only ovulate away from her mother. If mom’s about, the daughter will simply not ovulate and will therefore not get any male attention.

Territory Marking
Males start the courtship rituals among themselves. They mark territory with dung to let other males know that they lay claim to a certain area and therefore to any receptive females within it. This is most typically a precursor to the main pre-courtship event.

Fighting
When a female is receptive, males will detect this via her scent. This is when the fun begins. In order to earn the right to mate with the female, the males will fight each other. These fights can be brutal, and injuries are common. Once a particular male has established himself as the worthy suitor, it’s down to the lady to do the chasing.