RHINOCEROS

Scientific name: Rhinocerotidae

Mass: White rhinoceros: 2,300 kg, Black rhinoceros: 800 – 1,400 kg, Indian rhinoceros: 2,100 kg

Lifespan: White rhinoceros: 40 – 50 years, Black rhinoceros: 35 – 50 years

Speed: White rhinoceros: 50 km/h, Black rhinoceros: 55 km/h, Indian rhinoceros: 55 km/h

Gestation period: White rhinoceros: 16 – 18 months, Black rhinoceros: 15 – 16 months, Indian rhinoceros: 16 months

A Rhinoceros from Greek rhinokeros, meaning "nose-horned", from rhinos, meaning "nose", and keratos, meaning "horn"), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is one of any five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae, as well as any of the numerous extinct species. Two of the extant species are native to Africa and three to Southern Asia.

Members of the rhinoceros family are some of the largest remaining megafauna, with all species able to reach or exceed one tonne in weight. They have a herbivorous diet, small brains (400–600 g) for mammals of their size, one or two horns, and a thick (1.5–5 cm) protective skin formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure. They generally eat leafy material, although their ability to ferment food in their hindgut allows them to subsist on more fibrous plant matter when necessary. Unlike other perissodactyls, the two African species of rhinoceros lack teeth at the front of their mouths, instead relying instead on their lips to pluck food.

Rhinoceros are killed by humans for their horns, which are bought and sold on the black market, and used by some cultures for ornaments or traditional medicine. East Asia, specifically Vietnam, is the largest market for rhino horns. By weight, rhino horns cost as much as gold on the black market. People grind up the horns and consume them, believing the dust has therapeutic properties. The horns are made of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair and fingernails.Both African species and the Sumatran rhinoceros have two horns, while the Indian and Javan rhinoceros have a single horn. The IUCN Red List identifies the Black, Javan, and Sumatran rhinoceros as critically endangered.

Classification

White Rhinoceros

Scientific name: Ceratotherium simum
Conservation status: Near Threatened (Population increasing)Encyclopedia of Life
Lifespan: 40 – 50 years
Trophic level: Herbivorous Encyclopedia of Life
Mass: Male: 2,300 kg, Female: 1,700 kg
Height: Male: 1.7 – 1.8 m (At Shoulder), Female: 1.6 – 1.8 m (At Shoulder)

The white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists of two subspecies: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 19,682–21,077 wild-living animals in the year 2015, and the much rarer northern white rhinoceros. The northern subspecies had very few remaining, with only three confirmed individuals left in 2017 (two females; Fatu, 17 and Najin, 27: and one male; Sudan, 44), all in captivity.

Black Rhinoceros
Scientific name: Diceros bicornis
Mass: 800 – 1,400 kg (Adult)
Lifespan: 35 – 50 years
Height: 1.3 – 1.8 m (Adult, At Shoulder)
Gestation period: 15 – 16 months
The black Rhinoceros or hook-lipped rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern and southern Africa including Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Although the rhinoceros is referred to as black, its colors vary from brown to grey.

The other African rhinoceros is the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). The word "white" in the name "white rhinoceros" is often said to be a misinterpretation of the Afrikaans word wyd (Dutch wijd) meaning wide, referring to its square upper lip, as opposed to the pointed or hooked lip of the black rhinoceros. These species are now sometimes referred to as the square-lipped (for white) or hook-lipped (for black) rhinoceros.

The species overall is classified as critically endangered (even though the South-western black rhinoceros is classified as vulnerable), and three subspecies, one including the western black rhinoceros, were declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) in 2011.

Indian Rhinoceros
Scientific name: Rhinoceros unicornis
Gestation period: 16 months
Mass: Male: 2,100 kg (Basel Zoo population), Female: 1,600 kg (Basel Zoo population)
Height: Male: 1.6 – 1.9 m (At Shoulder), Female: 1.5 – 1.7 m (At Shoulder)
Length: Male: 3.7 – 3.8 m (Head and body), Female: 3.1 – 3.4 m (Head and body)

The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros and great Indian rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as populations are fragmented and restricted to less than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi). Moreover, the extent and quality of the rhino's most important habitat, alluvial grassland and riverine forest, is considered to be in decline due to human and livestock encroachment.

The Indian rhinoceros once ranged throughout the entire stretch of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, but excessive hunting and agricultural development reduced their range drastically to 11 sites in northern India and southern Nepal. In the early 1990s, between 1,870 and 1,895 rhinos were estimated to have been alive.In 2015, a total of 3,555 Indian rhinoceros are estimated to live in the wild.





Javan Rhinoceros
Scientific name: Rhinoceros sondaicus
Higher classification: Rhinoceros
Rank: Species
The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), also known as the Sunda rhinoceros or lesser one-horned rhinoceros, is a very rare member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant rhinoceroses. It belongs to the same genus as the Indian rhinoceros, and has similar mosaicked, Armour-like skin, but at 3.1–3.2 m (10–10 ft) in length and 1.4–1.7 m (4.6–5.6 ft) in height, it is smaller (closer in size to the black rhinoceros of the genus Diceros). Its horn is usually shorter than 25 cm (9.8 in), and is smaller than those of the other rhino species. Only adult males have horns; females lack them altogether.

Once the most widespread of Asian rhinoceroses, the Javan rhinoceros ranged from the islands of Java and Sumatra, throughout Southeast Asia, and into India and China. The species is critically endangered, with only one known population in the wild, and no individuals in captivity. It is possibly the rarest large mammal on Earth,21 with a population of as few as 58 to 61 in Ujung Kulon National Park at the western tip of Java in Indonesia.A second population in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam was confirmed as extinct in 2011.The decline of the Javan rhinoceros is attributed to poaching, primarily for their horns, which are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine, fetching as much as US$30,000 per kg on the black market.31 As European presence in their range increased, trophy hunting also became a serious threat. Loss of habitat, especially as the result of wars, such as the Vietnam War, in Southeast Asia, has also contributed to the species' decline and hindered recovery. The remaining range is within one nationally protected area, but the rhinos are still at risk from poachers, disease, and loss of genetic diversity leading to inbreeding depression.

The Javan rhino can live around 30–45 years in the wild. It historically inhabited lowland rain forest, wet grasslands, and large floodplains. It is mostly solitary, except for courtship and offspring-rearing, though groups may occasionally congregate near wallows and salt licks. Aside from humans, adults have no predators in their range. The Javan rhino usually avoids humans, but will attack when it feels threatened. Scientists and conservationists rarely study the animals directly due to their extreme rarity and the danger of interfering with such an endangered species. Researchers rely on camera traps and fecal samples to gauge health and behavior. Consequently, the Javan rhino is the least studied of all rhino species. Two adult rhinos with their calves were filmed in a motion-triggered video released on February 28, 2011, by WWF and Indonesia's National Park Authority, which proved it is still breeding in the wild.In April 2012, the National Parks Authority released video showing 35 individual Javan rhinos, including mother/offspring pairs and courting adults. As of 2016 there are only 63 individuals left out in the wild and none captive.

Elasmotherium

Scientific name: Elasmotherium
Higher classification: Rhinoceros
Rank: Genus

Elasmotherium ("Thin Plate Beast"), also known as the Giant Rhinoceros of Siberia, is an extinct genus of rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during the Late Pliocene through the Pleistocene, documented from 2.6 Ma to as late as 29,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene.Three species are recognized. The best known, E. sibiricum, was the size of a mammoth and is thought to have borne a large, thick horn on its forehead. Theories about the function of this horn include defense, attracting mates, driving away competitors, sweeping snow from the grass in winter and digging for water and plant roots.[citation needed] Like all rhinoceroses, elasmotheres were herbivorous. Unlike any others, its high-crowned molars were ever-growing. Its legs were longer than those of other rhinos and were adapted for galloping, giving it a horse-like gait.