The horns are made of a tough substance called keratin, which is the same substance that makes up our nails and hair. The black rhinoceros is also known as the hook-lipped rhinoceros because it has a pointed, grasping upper lip.
It can curl its lip around twigs and shoots to draw them into its mouth. The black rhinoceros lives in the wooded grasslands of Africa. The outside of the horn is rather soft and can be worn down or sharpened after years of use, according to the San Diego Zoo. If a horn breaks off, it can gradually grow back. Black rhinos, white rhinos and Sumatran rhinos have two horns.
Javan rhinos and greater one-horned rhinos have one. On the black rhino, the front horn can grow to 20 to 51 inches 51 to centimeters , while the rear horn can grow to about 20 inches, according to the International Rhino Foundation.
A white rhino's horns are slightly smaller, and a Sumatran rhinos horns are about 10 to 31 inches 25 to 79 cm for the front and less than 3 inches 7 cm for the rear. The greater one-horned rhino's horn is 8 to 24 inches 20 to 61 cm , and Javan rhinos have a horn that is about 10 inches 25 cm long. The largest rhino species is the white rhino, according to the San Diego Zoo. It grows to 12 to 13 feet 3. It weighs around 5, lbs. The smallest rhino species is the Sumatran rhino.
It grows to 8 to 10 feet 2. The Sumatran rhino weighs around 1, lbs. White rhinos and black rhinos live in the grasslands and floodplains of eastern and southern Africa. Greater one-horned rhinos can be found in the swamps and rain forests of northern India and southern Nepal. Sumatran and Javan rhinos are found only in small areas of Malaysian and Indonesian swamps and rain forests. Rhinos spend their days and nights grazing and only sleep during the hottest parts of the day.
During the rare times when they aren't eating, they can be found enjoying a cooling mud soak. These soaks also help to protect the animals from bugs, and the mud is a natural sunblock, according to National Geographic.
As the climate changes, so does the suitable habitat needed to breed, which can lead to a decrease in the population. Only 5, black rhinos are estimated to remain, so further declines in the population can lead to genetic defects and a risk of inbreeding in the wild.
The rhinoceros: Africa's armoured giant. Adopt a rhino. About African rhinos Why they're important Challenges How we're helping.
African rhinos species: Black rhino White rhino. Critically endangered Around remain Diceros bicornis Affected by: Illegal wildlife trade. Near threatened Around remain Ceratotherium simum Affected by: Illegal wildlife trade. The rhinos had a broad ecological range, from India's mangroves to the sub-montane shrubs on Java's volcanoes.
The Ujung Kulon National Park provides the rhinos with ideal habitat conditions, such as forests interspersed with glades. They also inhabit marshy areas and areas with thick bush and bamboo. One of the biggest threats to the Javan rhino is inbreeding from having a small population living in one location. This situation can lead to loss of genetic variability. Although their habitat is secure, it is not sustainable for their long-term survival. Other threats to their populations are poaching, habitat degradation, diseases, and natural disasters.
The national park where the Javan rhinos live is highly vulnerable to tsunamis. A volcanic eruption of the nearby Anak Krakatau volcano could wipe out many rhinos in the protected area. Rising sea levels due to climate change could also threaten the park. The greater one-horned rhino Rhinoceros unicornis , also known as the Indian rhino, is the largest rhino species. They are considered vulnerable to extinction and have a population of around 3, individuals.
Greater one-horned rhinos were once widespread across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. However, in the early 19th century, the animals were almost hunted to extinction for sport and killed as agricultural pests. As a result, only around wild greater one-horned rhinos remained. Fortunately, the rhino's population bounced back from under to approximately 3, due to strict protection from Indian and Nepalese wildlife authorities.
Today, they live in about 11 reserves in Bhutan, northeastern India, and at the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. Greater one-horned rhinos live in tropical and subtropical grasslands, deserts, savannas, and shrublands. They are also semi-aquatic animals and live in swamps, forests, riversides, or areas close to mineral licks. Much like many of the rhino species, the biggest threat to greater one-horned rhinos is poaching.
While anti-poaching efforts have contributed to their population increases, the demand for their horn remains high, and illegal trade persists throughout Asia.
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