The African Rhino- Vulnerable Despite a Thick Skin
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1. The African Rhino - Vulnerable Despite Thick Skin
The rhino is a huge, ungainly and
not so pretty animal that is clearly out of prehistoric times. It however sits pretty, amongst the big five game of an African
Safari - the others being leopard, buffalo, lion and elephant - and is indeed one of Africa's most celebrated fauna.
Properly known as rhinoceros, it is the second largest land mammal,
and is exceeded in build only by the elephant. The African rhino
has in recent years made a spectacular comeback from near extinction,
and has as a result been widely adopted as a symbol of wildlife
conservation
efforts.
The rhino has a long and complex history. Scientists
believe that it came into existence about 50 million years ago. Looking
at its current
fortunes, it is hard to imagine that this beast was once an abundant
species that roamed the earth with no care in the world. Its varied
habitats included
Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and even the arctic. Today it is
confined to Africa, and a few locations in Asia.
The rhino's
primogenitors
came in various shapes and size. This includes the paraceratherium -
that resembled the giraffe, and believed to be the largest mammal to
ever exist on
earth; telecoeras -a one horned water rhino that looked like a
crossbreed between a rhino and a hippo; and, the coelodonta antiquitatis
-commonly known as
the woolly rhino. The woolly rhino is the most popular of the
prehistoric rhinos, and its fossils have been discovered all around
Europe and Asia preserved
in ancient ice.
Today only 5 species of rhino remain, and which
in 2005 numbered 17,700 animals in the wild. The Javan Rhino (60) and
Sumatran Rhino
(300) species of the Asian Rhino live in tropical forests in Indonesia,
Vietnam and Malaysia, while the Indian Rhino (2,400) inhabits the open
plains of two
of India's most important national parks.
The African Rhinos' are
categorized into two species: the White Rhino (11,330) and the Black
Rhino
(3,600). Except for the White Rhino, all other species of rhino are
considered as critically endangered. Rhinos in captivity are estimated
to number
1,200.
The rhino is a gauche looking herbivore, housed in a cask
shaped body. It has stump-like legs, each having three huge toes. It has
a tough
skin, - a blend of normal mammalian skin and cartilage, which gives it
an archaic armour-plated appearance. The rhinos most distinct feature is
its horn, and
in all species either one or two projects from its snout. The horn is
primarily a defensive weapon, and is fundamental to the survival of each
individual.
Horn size varies with species - ranging from mere
snout bumps to poling heights. The horn continues to grow throughout an
animal's
life. Unlike other horned animals, the rhino's horn lacks in bonny
matter. It is composed of numerous keratin fibres -the same stuff that
makes up hair.
Contrary to what you may expect, the horn is not rooted in the skull,
but is permanently ingrained into the skin. For this reason, its removal
poses a
serious threat to the life of a rhino.
The rhino's horn is its
glory and curse - the reason that has set the animal on the verge of
annihilation.
Between the 1970's and early 1990's, the animal was poached to near
extinction and is today classified among the world's most endangered
species.
Rhinos are largely solitary and territorial, but marked
home ranges sometimes overlap, allowing sharing of water holes and
feeding spots.
They usually demarcate territory by spraying urine with the tail,
certain that another rhino will easily pickup the scent and have the
good sense to move on.
Males will ferociously fight off trespassing males, while they will mate
with any oestrous females crossing into their territory. The females
usually share
their territories with their young ones for as long as it takes, or
until the next calf is born.
Rhinos have a sharp sense of smell and an acute
hearing ability, perhaps to make up for very poor eyesight. The rhino's communication skills cover grunts, snorts, and growls.
The
rhino is
notorious for its short-fused temper and will charge without warning
when it feels threatened or clustered. Due to its poor eyesight, it will
readily charge
at any sudden or suspicious movements. An angry rhino charges with its
head lowered and horn pointed towards the enemy. This massive animal can
dash at
amazing speeds of up to 50 km/h, giving a very hard time to those caught
in its path.
The rhino has an all-weather friend in the
ox-pecker; the bird
you will find constantly perched on its back. This bird rids the rhino
of pesky blood-sucking ticks, while at the same time is ever ready to
issue a noisy
warning to it benefactor in times of danger.
The African white
and black rhinos are not actually of either colour- they are both of
varying shades
of grey. Both species have two horns; the front one nearer the nose,
while the rear one sits right above the eyes. The anterior horn is
usually longer and
thicker than the hind one, and at best towers to an impressive 5.2 ft.
The
white rhino acquired its name from the Afrikaans word 'weit', which
means 'wide' -on account of its broad square muzzle adapted for grazing.
To some European settlers to southern Africa, 'weit' sounded more like
'white', and the name 'white rhino' gradually stuck.
The white
rhino is actually a light shade of grey. It is the largest and most
numerous of
all surviving rhino species. It can grow up to 13 ft long -from snout to
posterior-, and can reach to a shoulder height of 6 ft, and weighs on
average 2,500
kg.
The white rhino prefers to live in grasslands and savannah
woodlands. Here, it may under favourable conditions fruitfully live to
an age of 50
years. It mainly lives a solitary existence, except for mothers and
their calves, which live together for the calf's first 2-5 years.
Females mature and are
ready to breed at the age of 6-7 years. They endure a gestation period
of 16 months, and calve in intervals of 2-3 years. Males are useful for
reproduction
only after reaching the age of 10-12 years.
This white rhino
classifies into two subspecies: the Northern White Rhino and the
Southern White Rhino.
The northern subspecies is critically endangered and is on the brink of
fading into oblivion. At last count, there were less than surviving 10
individuals of
this subspecies at the Garamba National Park in northeastern Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC).
In contrast, the Southern White Rhino is
doing
pretty well, and in 2005 were estimated at 11,330. Starting with only 20
animals in 1895 in South Africa's Umfolozi area, the subspecies has
managed to
recover strongly and is now classified as a low risk species. Overall,
about 90% of the white rhino population is found in South Africa, with
smaller numbers
in Kenya, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The Black
Rhino has only escaped total decimation by a whisker. It is estimated
that in the
period, 1970-1992, numbers declined by 96%- from 65,000 to 2,300. From
the mid 1990's, the enemies of the black rhino were held back and in
2005 the
population had risen to 3,600. Conservationists in Africa, and abroad
have sustained a good fight, to keep the species propagating.
The
black rhino
is classified as Critically Endangered and features in the IUCN 1996 Red
List of Threatened Animals. But the resurgence of the White Rhino in
South Africa,
gives hope that the black rhino will yet thrive again.
The black
rhino was so named simply to differentiate it from the white rhino. It
is a darker
shade of grey and in the rhino family is the second largest in size. It
sometimes looks darker as a result of wallowing in mud; something it
must do to cool
off, as rhinos do not sweat.
The black rhino is hook-lipped,
which enables it to browse through trees and shrubs, thus feeding on a
more diverse and
healthier diet. It is smaller than the white rhino; it grows up to a
length of 12.5 ft, 5.5 ft to shoulder height and on average weighs 1,350
kg.
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