Rhinoceros

Picture of a black rhino The rhinoceros looks impressive, almost formidable, with its protruding horns and bulky, heavy armour-clad body. This large, hooved mammal belongs to the family of horses, zebras and pig-like tapirs. There are five species of rhinos in the world, broadly divided into two groups -- Asian rhinos and African rhinos. African rhinos are found only in eastern and southern Africa and are largely confined to savannah woodlands and grasslands, while Asian rhinos are found in the tropical forests of Asia.

Class:	Mammalia (mammal)
Order:	Perissodactyla (odd-toed hooved mammals)
Family:	Rhinocerotidae (Rhinos)

GENUS & SPECIES: Ceratotherium simum; Diceros bicornis; Rhinoceros unicornis; R. sondaicus; Dicerorhinus sumatrensis

Five species in four genera, proof that the group - the whole order in fact - is the fragmented distribution of a remnant order. The ancestral stem from which rhinos emerged (ancient tapirs) was common on Gondwanaland before the break-up of the continents. Perissodactyls are the odd-toes ungulates, the one or three-toed toenail walkers.

There are three Asian rhino species: the Indian (or great one-horned) rhino (picture on the left), the Javan rhino(picture on the right) and the Sumatran rhino(picture down). There are two species of African rhinos: the black rhino(picture on top) and the white rhino. Rhinos are herbivores and feed on grasses, twigs, branches, shoots and leaves of bushes and trees.

Cerato- (keratin) morpha (from morphe), the horn-shape and rhino (nose) cero (from keros), the nose-horn taxa both refer to the agglutinated hair horns on rhino noses. The horned (cerato-) beast (therium) with the flat-nose (simum) is the square-lipped white rhino.

The black rhino is the two-horned (diceros = Greek) two-horned (bicornis = Latin) one. The Indian and Javan rhinos are the one-horned (unicornis) and the rhino named after Sondaica. The Sumatran rhino is the one that has two (di) horns (ceros) on its nose (rhino) from Sumatra, the only survivor of Dicerorhinae, which included the extinct woolly rhino and others of Eurasia.

RANGE:

White Rhino: Savannahs of S and NE Africa Black Rhino: rain forest to scrubland of Africa, from the Cape to Somalia Indian Rhino: floodplain grassland of greater Indian Asia Javan Rhino: lowland rain forest, SE Asia; Sumatran - montane rain forest, SE Asia

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Length: White: males to 4 m; Sumatran: 2.5 m, plus tails (about 2 feet). Height: White: 180 cm (5-6 feet); Sumatran: 125 cm (about 4 feet) Weight: White: to 2300 kg (5000 lb.); Sumatran: to 800 kg (about 1700 lb.)

Armoured giants
A rhinoceros is a heavy animal with a frame, like the elephant, that is graviportal. It has thick, folded skin which looks like heavy armour plating, and a prominent horn which grows over middle of the nose. There is a prominent hump over the shoulders and a thickened ridge along the neck, evidence of an enormous tendon network to hold up the huge head. While most horns have a bony structure, rhino horn is made of a substance rather like human fingernails which grows directly from the skin. Sumatran and black rhinos have two horns.

All extant rhinos have a horn on the end of the rostrum, the second horn, if present, is in tandem and smaller. The upper lip may be pointed or squared, depending on the species. The skin is thick and nearly hairless (except the Sumatran). The skin on the Indian rhino is thickly folded into plates that resemble medieval armor. The related Javan rhino has a few heavy folds.

Coloration: All rhinos are some shade of grey, with long, sparsely wooly reddish or brown hair on the Sumatran. Their color is often misinterpreted because of the fact that they roll and are often dirt colored…whatever dirt, whatever color. They are nearly or completely hairless. Hair grows only at the tip of the tail, eyelashes and ear fringes. Rhinos' feet have three short toes tipped with broad blunt nails.

Although rhinos have a bad reputation for being aggressive, most rhinos are gentle and timid and get startled easily. They have poor eyesight but their hearing and sense of smell are acute. If they attack, they usually rely on their sense of smell rather than sight. Heavy animals are not normally quick but the rhino, despite its bulky body, is remarkably agile! Sometimes, the African black rhino can be unpredictable, charging at any unfamiliar sound or smell. It can reach a speed of 45 kph while charging an enemy. The African rhino attacks with its horn but the Asian rhino bites.

DIET:

Wild – Pointed lips indicate a browser, squared lips indicate a grazer. The white – actually wide rhino is a grazer of savannah grasses that are mostly short. The black rhino browses about 50 percent of its diet. The Indian rhino eats elephant grasses but depends heavily on browse. Javan and Sumatran rhinos are complete browsers.

Zoo - Alfalfa and oat hays and some grain. Browsing species are given various browse.

Behaviour Patterns

Rhinos mark territory by making dung piles. The male's penis points backwards and sprayed urine is added to the dung piles or other marking posts. It follows that a species dependent on its sense of smell would use olfactory cues in its social interactions. The testes do not descend into a scrotum (a trait seen also in elephants).

Social behaviour

Most rhinos are solitary animals; only the African white rhino sometimes lives in small herds. Rhino territory is well marked with trails bordered with urine and piles of dung. Indian rhinos have special glands in their forefeet which leave scent trails while they walk in the forest. Rhinos are active in the morning, but after a long hot day they enjoy a wallow in mud to cool off.

Reproduction and Bringing up babies

Female rhinos are old enough to have babies when they are about three years. Males mature around seven years. Male rhinos sometimes fight over the females. Normally only one young calf is born. On rare occasions, there may be two.

The three smaller species attain maturity at about 4 years; the white and Indian rhino females reach maturity at 5 years, the first calf being born when they are 6 to 8 years old. A single calf stays with the mother for 2 or more years. Another calf may come after 2 to 4 years.

Rhinos are basically solitary and rhinos seen together are usually female and calf. Females seek seclusion for the birth and the calf is small, only about 4 percent of the mother's weight (about 140 lbs. in Indian and white rhinos, 80 lbs. in the smaller species). Mother rhinos will often stand over their young calves in the presence of danger. White and Indian rhino calves tend to run in front of their mothers, while the smaller species calves tend to follow behind.

Males reach maturity at 7 or 8 years of age but are prevented from breeding until they gain social status and claim their own territories at about age 10.

A baby rhino can stand quite steadily about an hour after it is born. The mother feeds the calf for about a year. The horns are visible even on small calves. It looks like a knob but by the time the baby is about five weeks old, the horn has acquired a definite shape. A baby rhino stays with its mother for two - three years before it starts living on its own.

Fiercely protective

Like most animals in the wild, rhinos usually avoid humans, but if anyone comes too close or threatens a mother and calf, the mother threatens the intruder by snorting loudly. If that does not scare the person away, the mother may charge. Because of their huge size, adult rhinos have no natural predators, although a newborn baby is at risk from hyaenas, tigers or lions. Man is the rhino's only enemy.

Picture of white rhino, Ceratotherium simum

ADAPTATIONS: The wide lips of the white rhino are perfect for grazing the short grasses of the savannah. The black rhino's upper lip is prehensile, a great tool for grasping browse. The other browsing species have a pointed upper lip also.

Rhinos have hind gut fermentation, like horses, and can handle considerable amounts of fiber in their diet, although they prefer quality vegetation when it is available. They need to process a great deal of vegetation in order to feed their great bulk. Incisors are completely absent in both black and white rhinos. Indian, Javan and Sumatran rhinos retain their incisors and the Sumatran has canines also, used in ritual combat as with horses and tapirs.

Although the function of the horn on all rhinoceros is not fully understood, it has been found that the removal of the agglutinated hair-growth is detrimental. Horns have been cut off in hopes that it would stop some of the poaching that is wiping rhinos out. It was subsequently found that females with calves were not able to properly care for those calves. Whether it is making way through thick grasses and brush or some other reason is unknown.

Rhinos have very poor eyesight and are unable to pick out a motionless human at 30 yards, consequently they depend on their good sense of hearing and their terrific sense of smell.

Picture above : The highly endangered Sumatran Rhino in the Leuser Ecosystem

Will the Rhino be extinct soon?

All rhino species are endangered.

For hundreds of years, humans have slaughtered rhinos for their horn. Rhino horn has a number of uses in traditional Chinese medicine and is also sought after in the Arabian Peninsula for dagger handles. Now there is a worldwide ban on trading in rhino horn. However, all five species of rhinos are endangered, although white rhinos are actually increasing in protected areas in southern Africa. IUCN and WWF are actively involved in conservation efforts to save their dwindling numbers, for example, by opposing illegal trade in rhino horn and by supporting Parks and Reserves that harbour rhinos.