FACTS ABOUT RHINOS
Large, herbivorous mammals, rhinoceroses are distinguished by their distinctive horned snouts. "Rhinoceros" is derived from the Greek words "ceros" (horn) and "rhino" (nose). Rhinos come in five species and eleven subspecies; some have one horn, while others have two.
Rhinos have been driven almost to extinction because their horns are employed in traditional medicine for their alleged curative qualities. Their horns are crushed up and used in traditional Chinese medicine, though they are occasionally sold as ornaments or trophies. According to the International Rhino Foundation, the horns are thought to be a potent aphrodisiac, a hangover remedy, and a remedy for fever, rheumatism, gout, and other ailments. For this reason, the powder is sometimes added to food or steeped in a tea.
STATUS OF CONSERVATION
According to Save the Rhino, during the start of the 20th century, there were 500,000 rhinos in Africa and Asia. There are 29,000 rhinos in the wild now, according to the group. Due to habitat degradation and poaching, all rhino species are in danger of going extinct.
The Red List Of Threatened Species Published By The International Union For Conservation Of Nature States:
Black rhinos;
The greatest risk category on the list is "critically endangered," which includes Javan, Sumatran, and Black rhinos. There are just 35 to 44 Javan rhinos, 5,055 black rhinos, and less than 100 Sumatran rhinos.
Greater One-Horned Rhinos;
Because they are "vulnerable," greater one-horned rhinos could possibly up endangered unless conditions change. Thankfully, the number of greater one-horned rhinos is growing; currently, there are 3,333 of them worldwide. The IUCN estimates that 2,575 people made up the total population in 2007.
White rhinos;
White rhinos are classified as "near threatened," meaning that their extinction could be imminent. There are currently 20,405 southern white rhinos, and their numbers are growing. The northern white rhino is regarded as "extinct" in the wild, nonetheless.
According to the IUCN, four northern white rhinos were relocated from a Czech zoo to a private conservancy in Kenya in 2009 with the intention of breeding them. One of the two last breeding males passed away on October 18, 2014, according to a statement from Ol Pejeta Conservancy. However, the conservancy was looking into his cause of death and found that he was not a victim of poaching. The conservancy said on March 20, 2018, that Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, had passed away.
The World Wildlife Fund reports that just two northern white rhinos remain in the world today, and they are both in captivity. Najin, Sudan's daughter, and Fatu, Najin's daughter, are the two female northern white rhinos kept in captivity in Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The two females cannot conceive successfully: scientists say Fatu has a uterine ailment that will probably prevent her from breeding, while Najin is too elderly and has limb problems to bear the weight of a mounting male.
Conservationists have resorted to in vitro fertilization after natural breeding attempts for northern white rhinos were abandoned. IVF in these rhinoceroses, however, presents a unique set of difficulties, such as determining how to put sperm into immature eggs and how to encourage them to develop outside the female's body.
The Sumatran rhinos, on the other hand, are also barely surviving. Sumatran rhinos are also struggling to survive in the wild, along with Javan rhinos. The International Rhino Foundation reports that they became extinct in Malaysia in 2015 and Vietnam in 2010. Three Sumatra national parks are home to small populations of the subspecies. Additionally, the first live Sumatran rhinoceros was captured by conservationists in the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo in March 2016. Although a 2013 camera-trap photo showed that Sumatran rhinos did dwell in this area, known as Kalimantan, the female's capture was the first time in 40 years that someone had made direct contact with a live Sumatran rhino there.
Rhino Horns;
Keratin, the main ingredient in human hair and fingernails, is also used to make rhino horns. However, the horns are more than just thick hairy masses. Dense calcium and melanin mineral deposits have been seen in the horn's core on CT images. According to researchers at Ohio University, the melanin shields the horn from the sun's UV rays, while the calcium strengthens it.
According to OU PhD student Tobin Hieronymus, the horns resemble cockatoo bills, turtle beaks, and horse hooves. Hieronymus told Live Science that because the keratin in the front grows more quickly than the keratin in the back, rhino horns have a tendency to curl backward, toward the head. According to the San Diego Zoo, the horn's exterior is fairly soft and can be sharpened or worn down after years of use. If a horn breaks off, it may regrow over time.
White rhinos, Sumatran rhinos, and black rhinos all have two horns. Both greater one-horned rhinoceros and Javan rhinos have one. According to the International Rhino Foundation, a black rhino's front horn can reach a length of 20 to 51 inches (51 to 130 cm), while its rear horn can reach a length of roughly 20 inches. The horns of a Sumatran rhino are less than 3 inches (7 cm) in length and roughly 10 to 31 inches (25 to 79 cm) in length, whereas those of a white rhino are somewhat smaller. The horn of a Javan rhino is approximately 10 inches (25 cm) long, while the horn of a bigger one-horned rhino is 8 to 24 inches (20 to 61 cm).
Habitat;
The grasslands and floodplains of eastern and southern Africa are home to both black and white rhinos. Southern Nepal and northern India's wetlands and rain forests are home to greater one-horned rhinos. Only specific regions of Malaysian and Indonesian wetlands and rain forests are home to Sumatran and Javan rhinos.
Rhinos only sleep during the warmest hours of the day; they graze all day and all night. When they aren't eating, which is infrequent, they can be seen soaking in chilly mud. According to National Geographic, the mud in these soaks acts as a natural sunscreen and helps shield the animals from insects.
Despite their tendency to live alone, rhinos do occasionally congregate in groups. These groups consist of a female and her young and are referred to as crashes. An area of land is ruled by a dominating male. On his area, the male will permit a few sub-dominate males to reside. Females are allowed to go about in a variety of areas.
Nutrition;
Rhinoceroses only consume grass since they are herbivores. Depending on the species, they consume different kinds of flora. According to National Geographic, this is because their snouts are shaped differently to accept various kinds of food. The black rhino, for instance, feeds on shrubs and trees because it can reach high and gather leaves and fruit with its long lips. Because of its flat snout, the white rhino can eat grass closer to the ground.
Offsprings;
A female rhino will have a child every 2.5 to 5 years. The gestation time for a female rhino's kids is 15 to 16 months. Although they occasionally have twins, they typically only have one child at a time. According to the San Diego Zoo, infant rhinos, often known as calves, are still rather large at birth, weighing between 88 and 140 pounds (40 and 64 kg).
The calf will go out on its own when it is about three years old. The lifespan of a rhino is 45 years.
Additional details;
Although they don't spend much time together, rhinos do spend time with birds. The oxpecker will perch on the back of a rhino and consume the insects that scuttle across its skin. This bird has other talents besides that. The bird will warn the rhino by calling out when danger is near.
Rhinos produce a loud "mmwonk" sound with their mouths when they are satisfied.
The International Rhino Foundation claims that black rhinos are not truly black. They most likely received that name to differentiate themselves from white rhinos or because of the dark, muddy dirt they enjoy wallowing in.
According to Save the Rhino, poachers also prize rhino horns for use in the production of jambiyas, or decorative dagger handles. During the 1970s and 1980s, when more people could buy luxury goods due to the oil boom, this style of handle became a status symbol in Yemen. Although Jambiyas can be made of plastic, buffalo leather, or precious metal, the "Rolex" kind was constructed from rhino horn. According to Save the Rhino, poaching has decreased recently as a result of the use of rhino horn.
Ten thousand years ago, the woolly rhino went extinct. The International Rhino Foundation reports that fossils have been found in both Europe and Asia. These creatures, which were hunted by early humans, were shown in paintings on the walls of caves in France 30,000 years ago.