Amazing facts about rhinos, massive powerful herbivorous odd toed ungulate of south east Asia and Africa having very thick skin and one or two horns on the snout.
Some of the amazing facts include;
1. There Are Five Different Rhino Species
The five rhino species are: White rhinos, Black rhinos, Greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos. Black and white rhinos are also known together as the African rhinos, as they are found only on the African continent. South Africa, in particular, is home to the largest population of white rhinos, with an estimated 18,000 in the wild. The other three rhino species can be found across Southeast Asia.
2. Rhino Horns are Made from the Same Materials as Human Fingernails
One of the most unique facts about rhinos is that their horns are made of keratin, which is also the same key protein that makes up human hair and fingernails. Their horns tend to grow and curve towards the head due to keratin at the front growing at a faster rate than it does in the back. Interestingly, if a rhino loses its horn – due to bulls fighting each other over dominance or territory – it will eventually grow back.
3. Rhinos Heavily Rely on Scents to Communicate with Each Other
Rhinos relies on its sense of smell quite extensively to either communicate with other rhinos or to mark territories. They spray faeces and urine over certain areas like barks of trees to establish ownership, while avoiding places when they identify the scents of other rhinos. In some cases, rhinos stumble upon a midden – another word for rhino dung – might walk through it and add its own dung to the pile to overtake the ownership of a territory.
4. Rhinos Love a Good Mud Bath
Rhinos have incredibly dark, thick hides and often require mud baths to protect their skin from the sun, parasites and most importantly, to maintain skin moisture. Mud often stay on its skin after a bath, which helps rhinos stay cool throughout longer periods and when traveling across vast lands without shades. Rhinos could take up to two mud baths a day, with each session lasting up to three hours.
5. Rhinos Have Special Relationships with Birds
Another one of the many interesting facts about rhinos is that while they tend to be solitary animals, they have a symbiotic relationship with birds. This is most notable with the African rhinos and the African Oxpeckers. The bird would often sit on a rhino’s back and feed off the insects on it. Birds would also provide warning calls should any potential danger or enemies that approaches – as rhinos are quite short-sighted.
Rhinos are a key stone species, meaning they play an important role in shaping and maintaining the eco system. By wallowing in mud and water, rhinos help create natural water holes which other animals can utilize.
Rhinos eat alot of plants and then recycle nutrients in the eco system through their dung and urine. In summary rhinos are worth being visited in the game.
