Rhinos are one of the most famous animals across the globe however many individuals do not know a lot about this ancient species. We have brought together a number of the most interesting facts about rhinos that we could find to fill this gap in knowledge!
The term “rhinoceros” comes from the Greek words “rhino” (which means “nose”) and “ceros” (which means “horn”). Literally translated therefore, rhinoceros means ‘nose horn’.
There Are Five Species Of Rhino
There are five species of rhino which can still be found in the wild. These are the black (5 000 animals) and white (19 000 animals) rhinos in sub-Saharan Africa, the greater one-horned rhino in India, (3 500 animals) the Sumatran rhino (80 animals) that are found on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo as well as the most critically endangered rhino of them all, the Javan rhino (60 animals) which are found in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia.
Rhino Horns Consist Of Keratin,
This is also the key component of human hair as well as fingernails. However the horns are not merely dense bunches of hair. CT scans have shown up dense mineral deposits of calcium and melanin at the very core of the rhino horn. The calcium makes the horn stronger. The melanin protects the horns from the sun’s UV rays.
The rhino horns are similar to horse hooves, turtle beaks and cockatoo bills. Rhino horns tend to curve backwards, towards the head, as the keratin in front grows faster as opposed to the keratin in the back. The outside of the horn is quite soft and can be worn down or sharpened after years of use. If a horn breaks off, it can slowly grow back.
Black Rhinos, White Rhinos And Sumatran Rhinos All Have Two Horns
The Javan rhinos and greater one-horned rhinos have one. On the black rhino, the front horn may grow to 20 to 51 inches, while the rear horn can grow to around 20 inches. A white rhino’s horns are slightly smaller and a Sumatran rhinos horns are about 10 to 31 inches 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 and Javan rhinos have a horn that is around 10 inches long.
Rhinos Can Weigh Over 3 Tonnes
In terms of size, Sumatran rhinos are the smallest of all the rhino species, however they can still weigh almost 95 stone. Conversely, white rhinos are the biggest of the rhino species and weigh up to 550 stones, or well over 3 tonnes, which is very impressive considering they mainly eat grass and leaves.
White And Black Rhinos Are Really The Same Colour
Despite the names, both species of African rhino have a grey skin colour.
What They Do During The Day
In the hottest periods of the day when most people would be playing at a Canada casino site, these magnificent creatures sleep in the shade or wallow in muddy pools to cool off. They love to get dirty! Mud shields their skin from the strong sun and wards off biting bugs.
