RHINOCEROUS

Rhinoceroses are the largest land mammals after the elephant. There are five species of rhinos, two African and three Asian. The African species are the white and black rhinoceroses, and both species have two horns. Asian rhinos include the Indian (or great one-horned rhinoceros) and the Javan, each with one horn, and the Sumatran, which has two.

• Diet

A rhinoceros, commonly abbreviated to rhino, is one of any five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae, as well as any of the numerous extinct species. Two of the extant species are native to Africa and three to Southern Asia.

 Rhinos are part of a group of animals called Perissodactyla, which are odd-toed ungulates. There are only three extant animal families in this group – Rhinocerotidae (rhinos), Equidae (horses, zebras and asses) and Tapiridae (tapirs)

•  The word rhinoceros is a combination of 2 Greek words : “rhino” – meaning nose and “ceros” meaning horn? Various other animals have the word rhinoceros as part of their names because they all have horn-like appendages. For example: the rhinoceros fish or the rhinoceros chameleon.

•  There are five extant species of rhino – white and black (found in Africa), Indian, Javan, and Sumatran (found in southern Asia).

The white rhino name likely derives from the Dutch word ‘wijd’ meaning wide, which refers to the animal’s wide mouth, whilst the black rhino was so-named to distinguish it from the white rhino.

•  The black, Javan and Sumatran species are browsers, wrapping their prehensile upper lip around leaves and twigs when foraging. White and India rhinos are considered to be grazers.

• Rhinos have between 24 to 34 teeth, depending on the species.

• Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same substance that makes up our nails and hair. It has no medical properties despite being used in traditional Asian medicine.

 Rhinos use their horns not only in battles for territory or females, but also to defend themselves from lions, tigers and hyenas.

• Rhinos have fantastic hearing and a great sense of smell, but have terrible eyesight. They will struggle to spot something further than 30m away.

•  Rhinos love wallowing. By covering themselves with mud and letting it dry they are protecting their skin from the sun. Rhinos will rub their bodies against tree trunks and rocks to remove ectoparasites, such as ticks, which have become stuck in the dry mud on their skin.

•  Rhino home ranges are marked with dung heaps called middens that are used by both male and females to communicate their whereabouts and reproductive condition.

•  Rhinos let birds sit on them?

Oxpeckers have a symbiotic relationship with rhinos. Rhinos have a host of ectoparasites on their hide that the birds eat, keeping the rhino free of parasites. The ox peckers can also raise the alarm, warning the rhino if any danger is about.

• Rhinos are found in parts of Africa and Asia. Their preferred habitat varies, from savannas to dense forests in tropical and subtropical regions. 

Black and white rhinos are found in Africa, primarily in the southern and eastern countries. The Sumatran rhino is found in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Javan rhino, once found in a number of Asian countries, today lives only in Indonesia and Vietnam.   Similarly, the Indian rhino once roamed across most of the Indian subcontinent, but today is only found in small sections of India and Nepal. 

•  Rhinos rank among the most endangered species on Earth. Valued for their horns, they face a dire threat from poaching, which is rapidly pushing them towards extinction. Their horns are used in traditional Chinese medicine, as well as carved into jewelry, dagger handles and other trinkets.  Rhino horns have become so valuable on the black market that thieves are stealing them from museums and game trophies shot long ago.

RHINOS