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Saving the Black Rhino - Unit 1
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| Description The
African black rhinoceros, or browse rhino, is an extremely large herbivore.
It is the second largest land animal after elephants in size
and weight. It is related to the grass rhino, or white rhino, which
also lives in Africa. Recently, some other related African rhinos
have become extinct, the largest of which is the Cape rhino. The earliest
forms of this rhino species appeared around 30 to 40 million years
ago and initially the animals were much smaller.
Once, there were other large rhino species in the world
which became extinct less than a million years ago. Fossils
show that those animals were common in Europe and Africa and Asia.
They were related to the hairy Sumatran rhino, which is a more
primitive form of rhinoceros than the black rhino. Today, the
hairy Sumatran rhino lives in Asia and is an extremely endangered
species.
Black rhinos once ranged over
most of north central, central and southern Africa. Today,
they are considered an extremely endangered species. At the turn
of the 20th century they numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
Now, total numbers are in the range of 4,000 individuals.
The back rhino is in the
same family of mammals that includes horses, giraffes, hippos, and camels.
It has thick skin that forms inflexible plates over the shoulders, haunches,
sides, forehead, and cheeks. The hide around the muzzle, eyes,
ears, and the undersides of legs is thinner and more flexible.
Black rhinos are actually gray in skin color, which can be seen
during the rainy season when the brown dust and mud are washed away.
The black rhino has a short
forehead and a very muscular, mobile mouth that has a very
pointed upper lip. The animal has unusual three-toed hooves.
The rhino's horn, for which it is being killed so aggressively, is
made of the same material that makes up our toenails and cows' horns.
The normal lifespan of the
black rhino is about 50 years.
Rhinos display territorial
behavior, but can tolerate high densities of their fellow rhinos.
Nevertheless, most rhinos tend to be solitary creatures. The
female with her young is the most common and basic social unit among
black rhinos. Sometimes black rhinos form bonds with familiar rhinos,
but can be aggressive towards unfamiliar rhinos. If they live in low-density
areas they tend to be more aggressive to others, but if accustomed
to high density they are less aggressive toward the herd.
In the social hierarchy the
dominant males usually ascend by some aggressive behavior.
They get physical and use their horns as clubs. Mild pushing and
shoulder to shoulder shoving are also techniques. At times there
is high-intensity fighting, including occasional all-out frontal
charges.
Rhino pregnancy is very long,
lasting 15 to 18 months. Only elephants have longer pregnancies.
Rhino babies suck milk for up to a year and begin to drink water
on their own after 5 to 6 months. The time between births is also
long: 2 to 5 years. Both sexes are able to reproduce after 4 years
of age, but young males can seldom compete with established males
until the age of 8 or so.
The slow and low birth rate
and late reproduction age are factors in their not being able
to survive slaughter from poaching and habitat destruction.
Habitat Black rhinos seem to like
the edges of thickets and savannahs. They are scarce in woodlands,
closed canopy forests, and extensive grassland areas where there
is less vegetation and water.
The animals are very water
dependent, but can go several days without visiting the water
hole if the leafy plants they eat hold a lot of water. They are
easy prey for poachers because of their need for water and are usually
killed while stooping at water holes.
The animals like plants found
in acacia thickets. Their powerful mouths allow them to eat
tough vegetation. They can eat leaves, twigs and even branches.
They like a variety of plant life and will eat over 200 different
species of plants.
Comprehension Questions: 1. What is the largest land animal? a. black rhino b. Sumatran rhino c. elephant d. giraffe 2. What is another name for the black rhino? a. Sumatran rhino b. browse rhino c. Cape rhino d. grass rhino 3. How old is the rhino species? a. 30 to 40 million years old b. less than a million years old c. about 4,000 years old d. hundreds of thousands of years old 4. Where was the original home of the black rhino? a. Asia b. Asia, Europe, and Africa c. Australia d. Africa 5. Today how many black rhinos are there in the world? a. none b. about 4,000 c. hundreds of thousands d. a few million 6. Which animal is not in the same mammal family with the black rhino? a. alligators b. horses c. giraffes d. hippos 7. What color is the black rhino? a. black b. gray c. brown d. purple 8. Why do poachers want to kill the rhino? a. its three-toed hoof b. its thick skin c. its toenails d. its horn 9. How long does a black rhino usually live? a. 25 years b. 50 years c. 75 years d. 100 years 10. What is the basic social unit for black rhinos? a. mother and baby b. a dense herd c. dominant males d. unfamiliar rhinos 11. When fighting, what do rhinos usually not do? a. use the horn as a club b. bite c. push d. charge 12. How long do rhino pregnancies last? a. one year b. 5 to 6 months c. 2 to 5 years d. 15 to 18 months 13. At what age can males sexually reproduce? a. 2 years old b. 3 years old c. 4 years old d. 8 years old 14. When are the rhinos most in danger of being killed? a. when they don’t get to water every day b. when they get lost in extensive grasslands c. when they go deep into canopy forests d. when they are drinking water 15. What do black rhinos eat? a. small animals found near water holes b. only the water-filled leaves of acacia trees c. leaves, twigs, and branches of acacia trees d. over 200 different kinds of plants Read and Think: 1. In a normal lifetime, what is the maximum number of babies that a female black rhino can have? 2. What could be done to help the black rhino survive as a species? (Make a list.) |
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