Rhinoceros Rhinocerotidae

"The only way to save a rhinoceros is to save the environment in which it lives.
A mutual dependency between it and millions of other species of both animals and plants." - David Attenborough

STATUS: Endangered!

DESCRIPTION: There are five species of rhinos — two African and three Asian. The African species are the white and black rhinos. Both species have two horns. Asian rhinos include the Indian and the Javan, each with one horn, and the Sumatran, which has two.

SIZE: The white rhino is the second largest land mammal next to the elephant. The five species range in weight from 750 pounds to 8,000 pounds and stand anywhere from four and a half to six feet tall.

POPULATION:
Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis): 2,400
White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum): 7,500
Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis): 400
Javan Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus): fewer than 100
Indian Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis): more than 2,000

LIFESPAN: Biologists estimate that wild rhinos live up to 35 years. In captivity, a rhino may live 40 years.

RANGE: Rhinos are found in parts of Africa and Asia.

HABITAT: Rhino habitat ranges from savannas to dense forests in tropical and subtropical regions.

FOOD: Rhinos are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. White rhinos, with their square-shaped lips, are ideally suited to graze on grass. Other rhinos prefer to eat the foliage of trees or bushes.

BEHAVIOR: As solitary creatures, both male and female rhinos establish territories. Males mark and defend their territories. Rhinos use their horns not only in battles for territory or females but also to defend themselves from lions, tigers and hyenas.

OFFSPRING: Males and females frequently fight during courtship, sometimes leading to serious wounds inflicted by their horns. After mating, the pair go their separate ways. A calf is born 14 to 18 months later. Although they nurse for a year, calves are able to begin eating vegetation one week after birth.

THREATS: Rhinos rank among the most endangered species on Earth. Valued for their horns, they face a serious threat from poaching. Some cultures believe that the powdered rhino horn will cure everything from fever to food poisoning and will enhance sexual stamina.

RHINO FACTS:
• All rhinos are vegetarians. In fact, white rhinos can eat plants that are toxic to other animals. If it weren't for the rhino, the African plains would be overtaken with these pesky weeds!
• There are 5 types (or species) of rhinos: White, Black, Indian, Javan and Sumatran.
• The largest, the white rhino, can grow larger than any other land mammal with the exception of elephants.
• A white rhino can stand 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh almost 8 thousand pounds or the same as 50 average-sized men!
• Black and white rhinos live in Africa. The Inidan rhino lives in India. The Javan and Sumatran rhinos live in Indonesia on the islands of Java and Sumatra.
• The Black and white rhino both have the same color skin of dull grey. However, they love to wallow in mud so they often take on the color of the soil. The white rhino has a wide mouth and is a "grazer" (eats grasses like a lawn mower). The black rhino has a narrow mouth and is a browser (eats leaves from shrubs).
• Rhinos have extremely poor eyesight but a keen sense of smell and hearing.
• Rhinos have lived on earth for over 50 million years.
• Rhinos can run 40 mph and turn 180 degrees in a distance equal to their body length.
• Rhinos are more closely related to horses than hippos. Rhinos are "Odd-toed Ungulates" along with horses, zebras and tapirs. Ungulate is a general term for mammals that have hooves.
• Rhinos live between 40-50 years and have a gestation period of 15-16 months (8 months for the smaller Sumatran and Javan rhino). Offspring weigh 150 lbs at birth in white rhinos, 100 lbs for Black.
• Rhinos got a bad rap due to their poor eyesight because they would charge easily (charge first, then see if it is something to worry about). They were once thought of as aggressive, irritable and stupid animals. This couldn't be further from the truth.
• It is now known that rhinos use their nostrils, ears, posture and above all, a complex system of exhalations (like Morse Code) for communication and expression. Rhinos are very kind and gentle animals whether interacting with one another or other species of animals.
• Black rhinos have a prehensile upper lip (like a set of fingers) that can be used to extract the smallest peice of vegetation from a thorn bush. Showing their intelligence, they can also use this to open gates and even vehicle doors!
• Rhino horns, unlike those of cattle and antelopes, have no bony core. They consist merely of compressed keratin fibers similar to our fingernails. If broken or cut, the horn can grow back within a couple years.
• A conservation effort was made wherein the horns were cut off rhinos (harmless) in an attempt to devalue them to poachers. This turned out to be a failure as poachers tracking rhinos would shoot any rhino without a horn so they did not waste time following its tracks again.
• Rhino horn is used in traditional medicines in China and as symbolic dagger handles in North Yemen. A poacher can get a sum of money equal to 2 years salary for each illegal rhino horn they obtain so there is great incentive for them to poach. If we eliminate the demand for rhino horn, we take away the incentive to poach.
• The black rhino is a symbol for conservation in Africa just as the Bald Eagle is to the United States.
• When we save rhino habitat we not only save rhinos but we save everything from orchids to elephants.
• All 5 species of rhino are in danger of extinction!