Other names used for these two rhino species are “broad-lipped” and "hook-lipped." Guess which name belongs to which rhino!īlack and white rhinos share Africa’s savanna habitats, as they don’t compete for food. The wide mouth of the white rhino is perfect for grazing on grasses, while the more narrow, prehensile lip of the black rhino is great for pulling leaves and shrubs into its mouth. One account says that South Africa's early Boer settlers called it wijde, Dutch for “wide,” which could refer to the wide lip, or the size of a rhino. Greater one-horned rhinos live in northern India and southern Nepal and Sumatran and Javan rhinos live in small areas of Malaysia and Indonesia-all three making their homes in swamps and rainforest habitats. All Asian rhinos are excellent swimmers.Īfrican Black rhinos and white rhinos are the same color: they're both brownish gray! How the white rhino came to be called “white” is uncertain. Meet the rhinos: White rhinos and black rhinos are found in small pockets of eastern and southern Africa, living in grassland and floodplain habitats.
ANCESTOR OF A WEST AFRICAN BLACK RHINOCEROS SKIN
But while rhinos may look indestructible, their skin is actually quite sensitive, especially to sunburn and biting insects. The birds also raise a horrible ruckus whenever they spot trouble for their “friend.”Ī group of rhinos is sometimes called a “crash”-an appropriate term for a large and ponderous animal that can crash through just about anything in its way. White rhinos have a hump of muscle on their neck and shoulders to hold up a head that can weigh 800 to 1,000 pounds (362 to 454 kilograms).
ANCESTOR OF A WEST AFRICAN BLACK RHINOCEROS FULL
The oxpeckers get a full belly, and the rhino gets rid of some irritating bugs. The birds hop on a rhino’s back, plucking tasty ticks and other parasites off the rhino’s skin, even entering the ears and nostrils to get those hard-to-reach morsels. This small bird lives in a mutual arrangement with the African rhinos. White rhinos may create their own shallow mud holes by rolling in watery depressions in the earth.Īn unusual relationship: Rhino vision is notoriously poor, but they respond to the alarm calls of other sharper-eyed wildlife, including a bird called the oxpecker. Plus, that cool mud feels so good! Rhinos may often share a wallowing spot without any fighting, as if it is neutral ground. The importance of wallowing: All rhinos enjoy a good soak in the mud, but for Asian rhinos, this becomes vitally important to help them get through times of high humidity, when insects can be a problem. If a horn breaks off, it can gradually grow back. Rhino horns don’t have a bony core like other mammal horns have, and the outside of the horn is rather soft and can be worn down or sharpened after years of use. Horns vary in size, with black rhinos and white rhinos having much longer horns than the other three species. Javan rhinos and greater one-horned rhinos have one horn on top of the nose, while Sumatran rhinos, black rhinos, and white rhinos have two. A rhino’s horn is made of keratin, the same material that makes up our fingernails and hair. The word rhinoceros comes from the Greek words rhino (nose) and ceros (horn). The rhinoceros gets its name from its most famous feature: horns. Their ears can move independently of each other, and one may be cocked forward while the other is directed backward, or both may perk straight up when an interesting sound that requires total concentration is detected. This defense mechanism has given them an undeserved reputation for having a bad temper. Rhinos soak in mud or roll in dust as protection against sunburn and insect bites.īecause rhinos are very nearsighted, they often charge when startled in the wild, rhinos have been observed charging at boulders or trees. Their thick skin acts like protective plating but is sensitive, as the blood vessels are close to the skin’s surface, and can be easily scarred. What all rhinos have in common are one or two horns, a broad chest, thick skin, poor eyesight, excellent hearing, and a fondness for rolling in the mud. Today, only five species continue the line: two native to Africa and three native to Asia. Throughout the eons, close to 100 known rhinoceros species have existed. One of these ancestors, the paraceratherium, was 25 feet (7.6 meters) long and 18 feet (5.5 meters) high at the shoulder, the largest land mammal ever known. The rhino’s lineage is an ancient one-its ancestors walked the Earth 55 million years ago. Yet most of the time this fearsome creature is content to browse peacefully on vegetation. In our imaginations, the rhino is the embodiment of brute strength. Its eyes peer from a massive head that tapers to that battering ram of a horn. Its heavyset body stands on sturdy legs like tree trunks. Ambassadors from another age: The rhinoceros looks as though it has lumbered into our time from some primeval era.
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