Rhinoceros Facts
- There are five types of Rhinos...the Sumatran, Javan, Black, White and Indian.
- The Javan and Indian Rhinos have only one horn, and the Sumatran, Black and White Rhinos have two horns.
- Just like our fingernails, the Rhino's horns are made of keratin and grow throughout their lifetime.
- Rhinos are about 60 inches tall at their shoulders.
- Rhinos live for 35 to 40 years.
- White Rhinos live in grasslands or open savannas with water holes, mud wallows and shade trees. Black Rhinos have various habitats, but mainly live in areas with dense, woody vegetation.
- Rhinos weight varies based on their type. Black Rhinos weigh 1 to 1 1/2 tons while White Rhinos weigh over 2 tons.
- Rhinos thick, hairless, gray hide looks indestructible, but their skin is actually quite sensitive, especially to sunburn and biting insects, which is why they like to wallow in mud.
- Rhinos have an odd-toed ungulate (three toes on each foot).
- Rhinos have large heads, broad chests and thick legs.
- Rhinos have poor eyesight...they are very nearsighted, which is probably why they will sometimes charge without apparent reason.
- Rhinos have a very good sense of smell and hearing.
- Rhinos have an extended "vocabulary" of growls, grunts, squeaks, snorts and bellows.
- When the Rhino attacks, he lowers his head, snorts, breaks into a gallop reaching speeds of 30 miles an hour, and gores or strikes powerful blows with its horns.
- Gestation period for Rhinos is 16 months.
- The closest Rhino relationship is between a female and her calf which lasts from 2 to 4 years.
2 comments:
I just finished doing a unit study with Shelby on animals. We might just have to add another day so she can learn all this!
Tammy,
I always enjoyed learning about animals as a child.
FYI I forgot one fact. Rhinos are vegetarians. =}
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