The Events

The Animal Series

Rhinoceros

Introduction

Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Perissodactyla
Family Rhinocerotidae
Genus There are Four genus of Rhinoceroses. Diceros, Ceratotherium, Rhinoceros, and Dicerorhinus
Species Diceros Bicornis Black Rhinoceros
Ceratotherium Simun White Rhinoceros or the square-lipped Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros Unicornis Indian Rhinoceros also known as the Greater one-horned
Rhinoceros Sondaicus The Javan Rhinoceros
Dicerorhinus Sumatrenis The Sumatran Rhinoceros

Habitat

Rhinoceroses live in Africa or Asia depending on their species. The black and white rhinoceros live in souther and eastern Africa, while the Sumatran, Indian, and Javan live in Tropical Asia. The black, white, Indian, and Javan Rhinoceros live in savannas, marshes, and areas with a large amount of shrubs to eat. These rhinoceros prefer to live close to water holes which are shared between species. The water holes are important to the rhino, not only for drinking water, but to let them cover the skin in mud which protects them from the large amount of ticks. The Sumatran Rhinoceros are set apart from others because they live in the forests of Malaysia and Indonesia.

Food Source and Food Chain
All species of Rhinoceros are herbivores. They feed on twigs, fruit, leaves, shrubs, and grass. The black rhinoceros and Indian rhinoceros have lips capable of grasping like a finger. They use this to make gathering food easier.

Social Behaviors
Most Rhinoceros are not very social and usually live alone or in small groups that consist of the mother and her offspring, the exception is the White Rhinoceros which is more fond of company. Rhinoceroses communicate in growls, grunts, squeaks, snorts and bellows. The male rhinos are hostile towards one another using their horn to fight. They do this to protect their territory and to mate with females. The gestation period is 16 months long. Afterwords the rhinoceros nurses their calf for two years then continues to live with the mother for another year or two.

Interesting Characteristics
Rhinoceroses can weigh up to five tons and are five feet long.

The horn of a rhinoceros is not attached to the skull. It is composed of keratin fibers which makes up our fingernails and hair. Some people believe that the horn has medicinal uses, which caused the rhinoceros to be hunted. This is now illegal because all species of rhinoceros are endangered. Today there are under 25,000 rhinoceroses alive.
Rhinoceroses have very bad eyesight. They make up for this by having a strong sense of smell and very precise hearing. They can move their eyes to focus on certain sounds. Rhinoceros also have a symbiotic relationship with oxpeckers. These birds eat the ticks off the rhinoceros and warns the it of danger.

Source: National Geography