African Rhino

The Rhinoceros is an animal found in Africa as well as Asia.In total there are five species of rhinos with two being found in Africa. The other three are found in Asia. Of the five species of rhinos three are actually in danger of extinction. The Javan, Sumatran and the Black Rhinoceros.

These animals have been long sort after and prized for their horns. The horn of a rhinoceros unlike other horned mammals, is made of keratin only and lacks a bony core.Keratin is actually the same protien responsible for our hair and finger nails.

Rhinos have very good hearing and sense of smell but their eyesight is very poor. Rhinos have been known to live for 60 years and more.

White Rhinos

White rhinos aren’t white in color. They are just one of the five species of rhinos. The white rhino is a huge creature with square lips. There are two subspecies of White Rhinos; as of 2005, South Africa has the most of the first subspecies, the Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum). The population of Southern White Rhinos is about 14,500, making them the most abundant subspecies of rhino in the world.

The White Rhino has an immense body and large head, its neck is short and its chest broad. White rhinos have been known to exceed 3000 kg (6600 pounds) It as a head to body length of 3.35-4.2 m (11-13.9 feet) and a shoulder height of 150-185 cm (60-73 inches). The record-sized White Rhinoceros was about 4500 kg (10,000 lb).[6]. On its snout it has two horns. The front horn is larger than the other horn and averages 89.9 cm (23.6 inches) in length and can reach 150 cm (59 inches). The White Rhinoceros also has a noticeable hump on the back of its neck which supports its large head. The colour of this animal ranges from yellowish brown to slate grey. The only hair on them is on the ear fringes and tail bristles with little across the body. White Rhinos have the distinctive flat broad mouth which is used for grazing.

Black Rhinos

Black Rhinos once roamed the lower half of Africa in their thousands. Today they are only found in pockets of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania.

An adult Black Rhinoceros stands 147–160 cm (57.9–63 inches) high at the shoulder and is 3.3-3.6 m (10.8–11.8 feet) in length.[8] An adult weighs from 800 to 1400 kg (1,760 to 3,080 lb), exceptionally to 1820 kg (4,000 lb), with the females being smaller than the males. Two horns on the skull are made of keratin with the larger front horn typically 50 cm long, exceptionally up to 140 cm. Sometimes, a third smaller horn may develop. The Black Rhino is much smaller than the White Rhino, and has a pointed mouth, which they use to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding.

A rhino may attack an object it cannot identify, snorting furiously, only to veer away at the last moment. Not many humans possess the fortitude to wait for that crucial moment. Such quasi-attacks have cost many rhinos their lives.

Rhinos spend most of their time eating, sleeping, and wallowing. Strictly herbivorous, they munch on 200 varieties of plants from 50 different families. If a large proportion of those plants are succulents, rhinos can go four to five days without drinking. They use their prehensile upper lips to browse selectively, and large molars allow them to grind woody or fibrous plants. Rhinos can sleep lying on top of their gathered legs, or on their sides, or even standing up. They are sound sleepers and can be dangerous if startled awake.

Black rhino calves are born after a gestation of 15-16 months. Mother and young usually stay together two to four years and may adopt immature rhinos who have lost their own mothers. Adult males tend to be sedentary and solitary.

Rhinos have few predators, but they are occasionally eaten by lions. In a fight between an elephant and a rhino, the elephant would almost certainly win.

The rhino’s habit of defecating in the same spots makes it an easy target for poachers.