Facts about Rhinos
Facts about Rhinos- Akagera National Park.
Facts about Rhinos: Despite their appearance, rhinos are mammals much like humans. Two species of African rhinoceros exist: the white rhino and the black rhino. As its name suggests, the white rhinoceros has a square-lipped snout. Rather of being white, it is gray in hue and has a lengthy face. It has a thick and hairless gray hide. Each rhinoceros has two horns.
Before humans arrived in Europe, rhinoceros inhabited various parts of Asia and Africa. Early Europeans knew about rhinoceros because of cave drawings. At the dawn of the 20th century, Africa and Asia were home to 500,000 rhinos. Rhinos were down to 70,000 by 1970, and today there are about 27,000 rhinos left in the wild. Poaching and habitat degradation have decimated rhino populations outside of national parks and reserves. Critically endangered rhino species include the black rhinoceros and the Javan and Sumatran rhinoceros.
One national park on the northern tip of the Indonesian island of Java is now home to a tiny community. Earlier this year, Vietnam declared a subspecies of Javan rhino extinct. The number of larger one-horned (or Indian) rhinos has increased from 200 at the start of the 20th century to about 3,700 now as a result of successful conservation initiatives. When it comes to Asia’s greatest success stories, it has to be the Greater One Horned Rhino, whose status has improved from endangered to vulnerable due to a large rise in population. However, the species is still threatened by poaching for its horn, as well as habitat loss and degradation due to human activity.
In Rwanda, rhinos can only be found in Akagera National Park, located in the north-eastern part of the country. Formerly considered to be extinct in Africa, southern white rhinos thrive in protected sanctuaries and are categorized as near-threatened, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The western black rhinoceros and northern white rhinoceros, on the other hand, are now extinct in the wild. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya is home to the last two northern white rhinos, who are under 24-hour surveillance at Ol Pejeta Wildlife Sanctuary. It is thought that the number of black rhinos has doubled in the last two decades, although it is still only a fraction of what was formerly expected to be 100,000 in the early 20th century.
Facts about Rhinos- Akagera National Park.
1. Only Five Species of Rhinos exist in the world.
There are only five species of rhinos that exist in the world today; Black and white rhinos from Africa, larger one-horned, Sumatran, and Javan rhinos from Asia make up the rhino population. Only about 70 Javan rhinos and 100 Sumatran rhinos remain in the wild, which means their populations are in risk of going extinct.
2. Rhinos are one of the heaviest animals in the world.
Despite being the smallest rhinoceros in the world, Sumatran rhinos may weigh up to 600kg (nearly 95 stone). In addition, white rhinos are the biggest, weighing up to 3,500kg (almost 550 stone, or well over 3 tonnes).
3. Rhinos are Herbivorous creatures.
When you consider that they consume mostly grass and leaves, this is a really amazing feat. The rhinoceros is a browser. Foraging is accomplished by using its gripping point on its triangular-shaped top lip. Many different environments with thick, woody vegetation are home to this species. Rhinoceros white dwell in savannah that contains water holes as well as mud walls, shade trees, and grass to feed on.
4. Black and White Rhinos are actually grey.
While both the black and white rhinos have names that are deceptive, they are essentially both grey in colour. ‘Wyd’, the Afrikaans word for broad, is thought to have inspired the white rhino’s name (in contrast, black rhinos have a pointy upper lip). They misunderstood this term for white and called one of the species a white rhino, while the other was dubbed black to distinguish between them.
5. Gender-wise, they are referred to as Bulls and Cows.
Bulls are male rhinos, and cows are female rhinos. There are ‘calves’ in the family.
Females tend to be more social than men, who tend to be more reclusive and territorial. A gathering of rhinos is referred to as a ‘crash’.
6. Their owns are made up of Keratin.
Our hair and nails are formed of the same protein, keratin, that the rhino’s horn is made of. Two horns are found in all rhino species save the Javan and larger one-horned. In the case of the white rhinoceros, the annual growth rate is 7 centimetres, and the record length is 150 centimetres!
7. Rhinos have poor eye sight.
As a result of their poor eyesight (they can’t see a stationary human at a distance of 30m), rhinoceroses rely heavily on their keen sense of smell.
8. Rhinos have a distinctive way of communicating with each other.
During communication, rhinoceros create a variety of amusing noises. While fighting, they snarl and yell. ‘mmwonk’ is the sound of a calm black rhinoceros snorting.
In addition to their feces and pee, rhinos communicate with each other. They may smell the feces and urine of other rhinos if they poop in the same location as other rhinos, which is called a latrine.
9. Rhinos love mud.
Rhinos are often observed rolling around in mud to defend themselves from insects and parasites. River crossing is no problem for Asian rhinos. Sadly, their African ancestors are terrible swimmers and may easily drown in deep water, so they resort to wallowing in the mud to cool themselves during the summer months.
Conclusion: The black rhino and the white rhino are the two subspecies of the African rhinoceros, and they are both endangered. In addition to South Africa, white rhinos have been brought to Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire now have southern white rhinos. Black rhinos are concentrated in four countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya. They make up 98 percent of the population. 40% of the world’s black rhinos live in South Africa, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Between Cameroon and Kenya, there are a few black rhinos.
