Fast rhino facts
Classification: Mammal Phylum: Chordata Family Name: Rhinocerotidae Classification: Mammal Weight: 500kg - 2,500kg Body length: 2.5m - 4m long Top Speed: 55 km/hour Diet: Herbivore Habitat: grassy plains, rainforests and swamps IUCN status: Black, Javan and Sumatran: Critically endangered White rhino: Near threatened Indian rhino: Vulnerable
Five species of rhino
Our planet is home to five species of rhinoceros that can be found in the wild: the black and white rhino, which both occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and three Asian rhinos - Indian (or greater-horned) rhino, Sumatran rhino that can be found on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo, and the most critically endangered rhino of them all, the Javan rhino, found in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia.
They are huge!
The paraceratherium, a hornless species of ancient rhinoceros that roamed the Earth 30 million years ago, stood over 16 feet tall. Modern rhinos are significantly smaller, of course, but scientists don't really know how they evolved.
Measuring under 5 feet in height, the smallest of the species today is the Sumatran rhino, which is the only hairy species.
The Sumatran rhino is also the closest living relative of the extinct woolly rhinoceros and although small, can still weigh a whopping 600 kg.
The white rhinos of Africa are the largest of the five species that exists today. Weighing up to 3,500 kg they can grow up to 1.8 m tall. This is impressive considering they are herbivores and mainly eat grass and leaves at night, dawn and dusk.
White rhinos are the second largest land mammal in the world; only elephants are bigger.
Rhinos are fast!
Although bulky animals, rhinos can reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. The world's fastest humans, by comparison, only reach speeds of 28 miles per hour in a short 100-meter sprint.
Black and white rhinos are both, in fact, grey!
The names of black and white rhinos are a bit misleading, as both are actually grey. The white rhino is said to have gotten its name from the Afrikaans word for wide ('wyd'), referring to its wide, square lip, in contrast with black rhinos which have a pointy upper lip.
Early English explorers mistook the word for 'white' and consequently named this species 'white' rhino, and the other 'black' rhino to differentiate. The white rhino’s relatively longer head enables it to reach the ground to graze. Black rhinos have longer necks than white rhinos, which help them to reach up into vegetation for browsing. Rhino have the thickest skin of any land mammal at 2.5 cm thick on average over the entire body.
Social Structure & Behaviour
The social structure varies only slightly between the two species. Both are essentially quite social although the black rhino was thought for many years to be strictly solitary. Both species use dung and urine to mark their areas, but this differs markedly. In white rhinos only the males are territorial, and make use of dung middens and spray urine to demarcate. In black rhino both sexes use middens, but only males urine-spray.
Male rhinos are called 'bulls' and females are called 'cows' - their young are 'calves'; collectively they are called a 'crash' or herd. A black rhino's baby will always run behind its mother, while the calf of a white rhino will always run in front of her. Born after a gestation period of 16-18 months, a female rhino has one calf approximately every three years. Rhinos live between 35 and 50 years.
White rhino females with young usually live alone but also often associate with other females. Sub-adults sometimes band together after being sidelined by their mothers upon the arrival of a new calf. Crashes of up to thirteen in high-density areas could consist of any combination of sexes and ages. These groups occupy home ranges which are not defended but which overlap with those of other groups and a number of dominant male territories. The adult bulls prefer to be solitary, but do spend time associating with groups, especially those that have females in oestrus. This does not mean, however, that lone bulls are necessarily territorial. Territorial bulls also tolerate single males, called satellite males, in their territories as long as they behave submissively and do not make advances toward females.
Black rhinos are also social, but less so, with solitary individuals of both sexes likely to be encountered. Females with young usually have overlapping home ranges, and temporary associations with other individual of both sexes, including adult males, are common. Crashes do not, however, usually number more than four or five. Dominant males may tolerate other meals that remain submissive. Adult males are mostly solitary, and territoriality is probably dependant on population density.
The white rhino is a partly nocturnal creature; the black rhino is more diurnal. During the heat of the day, these mammals can be found sleeping in the shade or wallowing in muddy pools to cool off. They love to get mucky - and both black and white rhinos can often be seen rolling around in mud or dust wallows, giving themselves a protective 'mud coat' to keep themselves cool, stop insects biting and get rid of parasites. Interestingly though they cannot roll on their backs because of the elongated, blade-like protrusions on their spines. Compared to their Asian relatives, the African rhinos are poor swimmers and can drown in deep water, so they stick to wallowing in mud for a cool-down. Greater one-horned rhinos can swim, and even dive under water. They also frequently rub their bellies, flanks or faces on rocks and stumps; 'polished' rubbing sites are seen through rhino country.
Rhinos aren't afraid to use their horns when it comes to matters of the heart. Male black rhinos are particularly aggressive in their pursuit of a mate, and the rate of "mortal combat" among these horned lovers is higher than any other mammal on the planet. About half of males and 30 percent of females die from injuries sustained while fighting.
Rhinos are related to zebras - yes, really!
The closest living relatives to rhinos are not elephants or hippos, but rather horses, tapirs, and zebras, all of which are classified as odd-toed ungulates. All hoofed animals are generally referred to as ungulates.
In Africa, rhinos and equids are the only ungulates to have an odd number of toes, they are therefore PERISSODACTYLA.
Rhinos and tapirs walk on three toes, while horses walk on one, which we know as a hoof.
Their horn is made from the same stuff as our fingernails
The horns are not bone, but tightly packed bundles of hair-like structures (keratin), similar to hooves and toenails, mounted on roughened areas of the skull. It is the same protein which forms the basis of human hair and nails.
Javan and greater-horned rhinos have one horn, whereas all the African rhino species have two horns, the shorter one set behind the longer. Horns grow from the skin and is not attached to the skull but rests on the frontal (nasal) bone. Their horns grow continuously during their lifetime - approximately 60-100 mm per year - and the record is 150cm long!
The horn is kept sharp and hones as an effective weapon by rubbing it against objects such as termite mounds, trees, exposed roots, rocks, earth-banks, etc. This continual wearing down results in an array of shapes and lengths that are useful identifying characteristics. Horn length, therefore, is not always related to age. On average, the horns of females tend to be slimmer and longer than those of males. As there are no nerves in the horn itself, the animal does not feel pain if it is cut or broken.
Rhinos have poor vision
Rhino’s eyesight is poor - they’re unable to see a motionless person at a distance of 30 m - they mainly rely on their strong sense of smell and excellent hearing.
Many so-called attacks or charges on foot, by white rhino in particular, are actually no more than misguided flight actions. They want to flee when detecting danger and choose direction, but because they cannot see the threat they often inadvertently run toward it. Loud noise or even the sudden visual realisation of the threat at this stage is often enough to divert the 'charge' - a simple handclap or whistle often sees them off without any aggression.
Communication is through honks, sneezes…and dung!
Rhinos make an array of funny noises when they communicate. During confrontations, they growl and make 'trumpet calls'. Black rhinos snort when they’re angry, make sneeze-like calls as alarms, and literally scream if they’re scared and 'mmwonk' when relaxed. Rhinos also communicate through their poo and urine. When rhino poo in the same place as other rhinos - an area known as a midden - they can smell the dung and urine of other individuals, and identify who is in the area.
Rhinos have sensitive feet
Despite their invincible outward appearance, even rhinos have a weak spot.
Rhinos typically put most of their weight on their toenails when they walk to avoid wearing out their sensitive feet. This is easy to do in the wild, where marshes and mushy wetlands abound, but when they're brought to zoos, their toenails tend to wear down on hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt.
Rhinos have a complicated relationship with Oxpeckers
Rhinos are often seen with oxpecker birds (or 'tick birds') hitching a ride on their backs, but the benefit of these birds is currently debated. The traditional argument is that they snack on bugs and ticks that crawl on the rhino's skin, but in 2000, research on cattle failed to find a consistent benefit to having oxpeckers, while a 2004 study on captive (and tick-free) rhinos found that rather than being helpful, oxpeckers spent much of their time picking at wounds and feasting on the rhino’s blood.
Meanwhile, other researchers argue that the birds actually do eat ticks and the like. The birds may give the rhinos one additional benefit though: A 2010 experiment found that without oxpeckers, black rhinos were able to detect a person walking up to a rhino 23 percent of the time. With the oxpeckers present that shot up to 97 percent, perhaps explaining why in Swahili, the oxpecker is referred to as the "rhino's guard."
Habitat
Black rhinos range from moist forest to semi-arid bushland, whereas the white rhino prefers the drier environment of both grassland and wooded grassland.
Within the white rhino’s African habitat, two distinct populations traditionally existed. The northern range extends west from Southern Sudan, through the Republic of Congo, towards Lake Chad. The southern species of the white rhinoceros occurs south of the Zambezi River.
Rhinos are facing extinction
South Africa holds nearly 80% of the world rhino population. Numbers however are dwindling due to poaching for the horn which has put them on the brink of extinction. Over 7,100 African rhinos have been killed by poaching in the last 10 years - that is around 2 each day. Poaching gangs are becoming increasingly sophisticated. In some cases, using helicopters to track the rhinos, and once the animals are shot with guns or tranquillising darts, their horns are removed using chainsaws, and if the animal isn’t already dead, it will be left to bleed to death. The whole operation can take as little as 10 minutes.
Rhino horn has long been sought after in the Middle and Far East. It has ornamental uses as well as many supposed medicinal properties. As with any commodity that is in demand but scarce, rhino horns fetches a high price in these areas, and because it is not available legally, illegitimate means are the only way to procure it; rhino horn is traded on the black market at prices higher than narcotics. The horn is also seen as a status symbol, particularly in Vietnam. Traditionally rhino horn has also gone to Yemen where it has been used in the manufacture of the handles of daggers which are given to young men who have successfully completed their initiation into manhood.
Habitat loss and fragmentation are also an increasing threat to rhinos, as human populations and infrastructure grows, encroaching on rhino habitat.
Just a century ago, there were more than 500 000 rhinos around the world. Now, only around 30,000 survive in the wild, largely due to poaching. All five species of rhino are in danger, but three are considered critically endangered: Sumatran, Javan, and black rhinos. Today, there are about 60 remaining Javan rhinos, fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos, and about 5500 black rhinos.
There is some good news, though!
In Africa, southern white rhinos, once thought to be extinct, now thrive in protected sanctuaries and are classified as near threatened.
But the western black rhino and northern white rhinos have recently become extinct in the wild. The only two remaining northern white rhino are kept under 24-hour guard in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
Black rhino have doubled in numbers over the past two decades from their low point of fewer than 2,500 individuals, but total numbers are still a fraction of the estimated 100,000 that existed in the early part of the 20th century.
Conservation
Through conservation efforts, black and white rhino numbers have increased in recent years, with the white rhino having been "brought back from the brink of extinction," according to the World Wildlife Fund.
The organisation Save the Rhino is taking a multi-pronged approach to the issue, working to deploy more field rangers to protect the animals, reduce demand in Asia, and breed rhinos that are currently in captivity.
World Rhino Day
Since 2011, World Rhino Day has been celebrated on 22 September each year. World Rhino Day is a day of awareness for all five rhino species and the work being done to save them.
How to see a Rhino in the wild?
If you want to see either of Africa's two rhino species in the wild, look no further.
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