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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
I took this photo at the San Diego Zoo
I didn't notice until I got the photo developed the "Embarassing Moment" I had captured.
I'm not sure what kind of Rhino this is so here is some general information about Rhinos.
Rhinoceroses get their name from their most famous feature: their horns. The word rhinoceros comes from the Greek rhino (nose) and ceros (horn). For ages, rhino horn has been used to treat illnesses, especially fevers. Yet like our fingernails and hair, rhino horn is made of keratin and has no healing properties.
The five types of rhinos are the Sumatran, Javan, black, white, and Indian rhinos. Javan and Indian rhinos have only one horn, while Sumatran, black, and white rhinos have two. What they all have in common are large heads, broad chests, thick legs, poor eyesight, excellent hearing, and a fondness for rolling in the mud. Because they are very nearsighted, they often charge when they are startled. This has given them an undeserved reputation for having a bad temper.
African Rhinos: Black and White
Black rhinos Diceros bicornis and white rhinos Ceratotherium simum are the same color—they're both brownish gray! How the white rhino came to be called “white” is uncertain. 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 the animal. 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.
The Asian Rhinos
Indian rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis— The mouth of the Indian rhino looks like a cross between broad-lipped and hook-lipped. Although it is fairly broad, it has a small prehensile lip. Many people describe these rhinos as armor-plated, but they are actually covered with a layer of skin that has many folds. Also called the greater one-horned rhino, they are native to swampy areas of Northeast India and Nepal.
Javan rhinoceros
Rhinoceros sondaicus— Like the Indian rhino, the Javan has a single horn. It is also called the lesser one-horned rhino. Javan rhinos are very rare in the heavily forested areas of Southeast Asia, and they are probably the rarest of the rhino species. Scientists have devised an interesting way of counting them. Throughout the rain forest, they have set up cameras with sensors. When the rhinos pass the sensor, the camera takes their picture! The scientists can then count them. Learning more about these jungle rhinos in the wild will help protect them from becoming extinct.
Sumatran rhinoceros
Dicerorhinus sumatrensis— This is the smallest and hairiest of the rhinos. It is also one of the most endangered. Very little of its native habitat is left on the island of Sumatra. There has been little success in breeding this species in zoos. |
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