Bringing Back Glory to Rhinos from the Brink of Extinction - By: liss

The only way to save a rhinoceros is to save the environment in which it lives, because there's a mutual dependency between it and millions of other species of both animals and plants. This is a famous quote by David Attenborough. Such is the sad plight of rhinos which are fast disappearing away to a land of nowhere. The odd-toed ungulates need a place on earth for their survival. With the level of atrocities human beings have committed in the past few years, their number is dropping down at an alarming rate. Little do we realize the effects of such deeds. You might get to catch a glimpse of these amazing creatures only in zoos if hunting and deforestation persists.

These magnificent creatures once dominated the earth in Europe, Asia and Africa. During ancient history, they wandered in the African savannas and the tropical forests of Asia. This is depicted by early Europeans in their cave paintings. Prominently known for their thick skin and long horns, they are one of the five surviving species in the family Rhinocerotidae. Out of the five surviving species, the Javan Rhinoceros, Sumatran Rhinoceros and Black Rhinoceros are on the brink of extinction. The other surviving species are the white rhinos and the Indian rhinos. They are animals with hoofs but again their number of toes is reduced. The bulk of their weight is balanced using the middle toe present in each foot. Rhinoceroses are extremely large and very thick skinned. They are capable of growing up to 3 and a half feet to 6 and half feet tall at the shoulder. They are extremely heavy and can weigh between 1 to 2 tonns.

There is a saying that goes,” For an actress to be a success, she must have the face of a Venus, the brains of a Minerva, the grace of Terpsichore, the memory of a MaCaulay, the figure of Juno, and the hide of a rhinoceros.” Yes that is very much true. The most interesting aspect of the skin is that it is around 1.5 to 5 centimeters thick. It protects the rhinos against thorns and sharp grasses. The skin also shelters a lot of external parasites such as crabs. But their brain is much smaller when compared to their Brobdingnagian size. The brain of a rhino weighs only about 400 - 600 grams.

Do you know the key reason why they are hunted? Yes! It’s for their horns. To be precise, the horn of the rhino is not actually a real horn but thick matted hair. It is all because of Keratin which is found in the hair and finger nails of human beings. These horns continue to grow throughout their lives until they die. The longest rhino horn in record so far is around five feet long. Wow! Unbelievable isn’t it? People kill them for their horns which are sold in black markets. Some people believe that these horns have a medicinal value and can cure fevers. They also have ornamental values.

In spite of their horrendous size, rhinos are animals which feed on only plants and vegetation. So they are actually herbivores. They do not have teeth at the front of their mouths. They use their premolar and molar teeth to grind their food. They never approach human beings. It might happen occasionally when they are triggered to aggression. However it is very easy to elude these creatures as their eyesight is poorly developed. They are incapable of making targeted attacks. However they do have a very well sense of smell and hearing capability. I have watched a couple of streaming videos of these astounding creatures on xfinity internet. Actually to be honest, we human beings are their only threat. But thanks to their rescuers who have made this earth a better place for these wondrous creations of God.

About the Author

I am a freelancer. I have a passion for wild animals like rhinos and I love to write about them. In my past time, I research on how to bring about security for both wild animals and humans by reading a lot of articles about wild animals on my Xfinity Internet.

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