Why do some rhinos have square lips while others have pointed lips?
The while rhinoceros in Africa is the species with the wide upper lip. It is the rhinoceros that spends much of its time grazing for which reason it has developed this wide lip to help in cutting off the sharp grass. It also has far more muscles in the neck area, which are necessary to lift the heavy head because it has to lower the head for the grazing. The hindhead of the skull is much larger than in other rhinos to give an attachment for the muscles. The black rhinoceros in Africa is a browser and has a prehensile upper lip to find and cut off the browse on shrubs and trees. It has a far smaller head because is does not need all the muscles for lowering the head.
