Rhinos and elephants: the secret lives of Africa's giants

Rhinos and elephants have a range of remarkable behaviours and adaptations, many of which we are only just learning.

Emerging through the twilight, a beast lumbers forward, sniffing, snorting, searching for something.

One of the largest animals to walk the earth, it is on a surprising mission.

This black rhino is embarking on a midnight journey, seeking out other rhinos

in the dark to socialise and mate with, sharing some never-before-seen tender moments.
 
Because despite their size, we are only just beginning to notice some remarkable behaviours and adaptations of elephants and rhinos.

These two groups are the largest terrestrial animals.

The three species of elephant range from 5.5 tonnes for an average male African bush elephant to 2.7 tonnes for female Asian elephants. Rhinos, of which there are five species, can exceed 3.5 tonnes.

Their size makes them relatively easy to spot and an easy target for poachers, who continue to hunt both groups of large mammal in significant numbers: elephants mainly for ivory in their tusks and rhinos for their horns.

They have all been extensively studied by scientists, in the field and also in wildlife parks, breeding centres and zoos.

But much about them, and what they get up to, remains a mystery, with many discoveries into their behaviour and adaptations only being made recently.

South Africa troops tackle rhino poachers

Rhinos are killed for their horns in many parts of Africa

South Africa is to deploy hundreds of extra troops along its borders to help fight gangs smuggling rhino horns, the government has announced.

Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said four military companies would be sent to the borders with Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Lesotho.

Syndicates export the horns from Africa to parts of Asia and the Middle East.

In 2011, a record 450 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa, the Department of Environment Affairs says.

Mr Radebe said about 600 soldiers would join the fight against rhino poaching.

"The deployment includes army engineers who are conducting repairs and maintenance on the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border fence, which is approximately 140 kilometres (85 miles)," Mr Radebe said.

Last year troops were deployed along the Mozambican border, many of them inside the world-famous Kruger National Park where more than 200 rhinos were killed last year.

"Effective border management is part of the government crime prevention strategy, which assists to deal with cross-border crime syndicates and curb poaching," said Mr Radebe.