The zoo in the Czech town of Dvur Kralove nad Labem is home to 20 rhinos, including three cubs. To protect them from poachers, the management decided to saw off the horns of the animals. The fact is that today people hunt rhinos not only in their natural habitat, but also in zoos. By the way, last year a similar decision was made by the authorities of Zimbabwe, where hunting for rhinos is especially active: in 2015 alone, about one and a half thousand animals were killed by poachers here. It is worth noting that poachers can get 60 thousand dollars for one kg of horn on the black market. In this case, the horn can weigh from one and a half to 4 kg.

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Once upon a time, a rhinoceros lived in the Moscow Zoo. He came to us in 1863 from India. Here is how one of the founders of the zoo, Sergei Alekseevich Usov, recalls: “They brought a rhinoceros in a specially arranged wagon, which looked like a large box on four wheels, very, very healthy, like the wheels of the carriages on which bells are carried. The truck was removed from the wheels, the front door was opened, the feeder was broken, and the rhino descended to the ground along a small platform. It was obvious that he was tired and had not yet broken off the road. Around his neck was a thick collar with a ring, to which a rather long, thick chain adjoined. They gave food - the rhino immediately began to chew the hay, and then lay down. A thick stake was driven into the ground and a chain was fixed to it.

ON A NOTE

The documents for the rhino indicated that they called him Semiramis, but this name did not take root and the female began to be called Monka. By the way, before the opening of the zoo, animals were kept in the large courtyard of Prince Kasatkin on Gruzinskaya Square. When the premises for the animals were ready, the question arose of their transportation and they decided to lead Monya on a leash. She had to walk 500 meters to the zoo. In order to stop the carriages for this time and to protect the beast from onlookers, the gendarmes were called and gathered 20 people. A log was tied to the end of the chain for weight.

IT IS INTERESTING

Monya was led by her caretaker with a twig. Sergei Alekseevich walked in front with bread, the workers were at the chain and on the sides. As soon as we left the gate of the courtyard, the rhino stopped, pressed its ears and suddenly darted forward, breaking the chain at the log. Monya was brought to her senses by a piece of black bread, which Sergei Alekseevich managed to shove into her open mouth on the run. As a result, until Monya was in the aviary, she had to feed more than 12 kg of black bread.

IT'S FUNNY

According to the memoirs of Sergei Alekseevich Usov, Monka was hand-held and ate from her hands, and when she was brought in, she calmly let herself be washed and smeared with lard. And two weeks later she was already rolling on the back of her caretaker, who drove her gently with a whip. By the way, according to Usov, “absolutely anyone could stroke Monka, and she took food from everyone's hands, but only recognized the caretaker who looked after her”. It is worth noting that Monka lived in the zoo for 24 years and died at the age of 28, and during all this time there were no problems with maintenance. True, one day Usov was informed that Monka was not healthy, refuses bran, eats almost nothing and drinks little. Meanwhile, it turned out that on that day Monya ate 4.5 kg of bread, 3 birch brooms, almost 50 kg of hay and drank 5 buckets of water, i.e. half of the usual amount. When the zoo opened to the public, Monka quickly got used to the visitors and often approached the fence with her mouth open, thus begging for bread.

The baby was born on Halloween, it was shown to visitors only on November 21.

The name of the cub, which became the fourteenth black rhinoceros of the Sydney Zoo, has not yet been coined. The baby's mother, Bakhita, came to Taronga Western Plains in 2002, and today the zoo is home to three generations of black rhinos. The daughter of Bakhita, nicknamed Kufara, had a baby Messi in the spring of 2017.

There are about 4 thousand black rhinos left in the wild. Ignorance and poaching led to the destruction of these animals. The hunting of animals similar to mythical unicorns became widespread in the twentieth century. In some countries, it is believed that the powder from the horn of this animal has miraculous properties, supposedly restores potency and helps to maintain youth.

Alternative medicine is still popular in Asia. A resident of Hanoi paid 2 thousand dollars for the horn of the killed animal. The man rubbed it on the edge of a bowl with a picture of a rhino for 20 minutes, then poured the mixture into a glass and drank it.

“I decided to buy this piece of horn because I am getting old and I need medicine. Friends say that rhino horn will cure me of many diseases, stroke and high fever ... They also say that it cures cancer, ”explains the man.

The trade in rhino horns was banned in 1977 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, CITES.

“If it were not for the UN Convention, rhinoceroses would not exist in natural conditions today. Thanks to her, the population of rhinos on the planet has recovered to 25,000 individuals, ”said CITES Secretary General John Scanlon.

A few days ago, shocking and depressing news appeared: in the Thoiry Zoological Park in Paris, poachers killed a white rhino and sawed off its horn.

What happened

Criminals broke into the zoo in the early morning and killed a 4-year-old male white rhino named Vince with three shots to the head, Le Parisien reported. According to the zoo, the poachers used a chainsaw to get his front horn. The second horn was only partially cut. Presumably, the criminals were scared by someone or, perhaps, their equipment is out of order. An investigation is underway to find the culprit. Vince was found this morning by a female caretaker who is very attached to the animals she cares for. She was deeply moved by his death. This odious murder was committed despite the presence of five employees living here in the territory of the zoological park, and the presence of video surveillance cameras.

The other two rhinos living at the zoo were fortunately unharmed.

The reasons for the murder

The white rhinoceros is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. This is largely due to the massive demand for their horns in China and parts of Southeast Asia. The horns of the white rhinoceros are revered for their supposed and completely unproven aphrodisiac properties and are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Despite renewed efforts to combat this illegal trade around the globe, theft of rhino horns from museums and private collections is very common in Europe. Nevertheless, almost no one has heard of poachers who hunt live animals in European zoos.

Recently, however, zoological parks have faced an unusual wave of violent attacks on animals. In the past few weeks, a hippopotamus has been killed at a zoo in El Salvador, and at a zoo in Tunisia, visitors have stoned a crocodile to death for no reason.

For the first time in 18 years, a cub of a rare East African subspecies of the black rhinoceros was born at the Zurich Zoo (Switzerland).

All these years, the zoo staff tried diligently to get their black rhinos to breed, but all attempts ended in failure. Until finally a 14 year old female Samira did not become pregnant by a 15-year-old male named Jeremiah... As a result, on December 28, 2014, a female cub was born, which was given the name Olmoti.

In Europe, the breeding program of the East African black rhinoceros, according to 2014 data, includes 66 animals from 17 zoos.

East African subspecies of black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) is now found in the wild only in Tanzania. In total, there are 4 subspecies of the black rhinoceros, one of which has already become extinct by now. The total number of the species is about 3.5 thousand individuals.

The name "black" is a conditional one, since it is not as black as the second African representative of the family - the white rhinoceros - in fact is not white. The color of both animals depends on the color of the soil on which they live, as they willingly roll in dust and dirt, and the original slate-gray color of their skin becomes whitish, then reddish, and in areas with solidified lava and a black tint.

The black rhino is a large and powerful animal. It is not as large as a white rhinoceros, but still impressive - it reaches a weight of 2-2.2 tons, a length of up to 3.15 m and a height of 150-160 cm. It usually has two horns on its head, but in some areas (for example, in Zambia) - three or even five. In cross-section at the base, the horn is rounded (in the white rhino, it is trapezoidal).

The external difference between the black rhino and the white is the device of the upper lip: in the black rhino it is pointed and hangs down over the lower lip with a proboscis. With the help of this lip, the beast grabs the foliage from the branches of the bush. In addition, the black rhinoceros, in comparison with the white, has a shorter head, and the horn is directed more forward (in the white it is almost vertically upward). The black rhino is more elongated and generally lighter in build than the white.

Black rhinos do not have a specific breeding season. After 15-16 months of pregnancy, the female gives birth to one cub. The cub feeds on milk for two years. By this time, he reaches a fairly impressive size, and in order to get to the nipples, he has to kneel.

The black rhino feeds mainly on young shoots of shrubs, which, like a finger, captures with the upper lip. At the same time, animals do not pay attention to either sharp thorns or pungent juice. The black rhino feeds in the morning and in the evening, and the hottest hours usually spend half asleep, standing in the shade of a tree.

Every day they go to the watering hole, sometimes 8-10 km away, and wallow for a long time in the coastal silt, fleeing the heat and insects; Moreover, sometimes they are so keen on this pleasant procedure that later they are unable to get out of the viscous silt and become easy prey for predators (for example, hyenas).

In drought, rhinos often use pits dug by elephants for watering. Unlike white rhinos, black ones are solitary. Frequent pairs usually consist of a mother and a baby. The sight of the black rhinoceros, like that of other species, is very weak. Even at a distance of 40-50 m, he cannot distinguish a person from a tree trunk.

Hearing is much better developed, but the sense of smell plays the main role in recognizing the external world. These rhinos run quickly, at a heavy trot or in an awkward gallop, developing speeds of up to 48 km / h over short distances.

Black rhinos are almost never aggressive towards their relatives. If the rhinos still start a fight, then there are no serious injuries, the fighters get off with light wounds on their shoulders. It is usually not the male who attacks the male, but the female attacks the male.

A rhinoceros is an animal of the mammals class, the animal subclass, the placental infraclass, the Laurasiotherium superorder, the equid order, the rhinoceros family (lat.Rhinocerotidae).

The Latin name of the animal has Greek roots, the word Rhino is translated as "nose", and ceros means "horn". And this is a very apt name, because all five surviving rhino species have at least one horn growing from the nasal bone of a mammal.

Rhinoceros: description and photo. What does an animal look like?

The rhinoceros is the largest animal after the land. Modern rhinos reach a length of 2–5 meters, a height at the shoulders of 1–3 m and weigh from 1 to 3.6 tons. The color of their skin, as it seems at first glance, is reflected in the names of the species: white, black, and everything is clear here. But it was not there. In fact, the natural skin color of white and black rhinos is about the same - it is gray-brown. And they are named so because they like to wallow in soils of different colors, which paint the surface of the body of rhinos in different shades.

By the way, the name "white" was generally assigned to the white rhinoceros by mistake. Someone mistook the Boer word "wijde", which means "wide," for the English word "white" - "white." The Africans named the animal this way for its massive square muzzle.

Rhinos have a long, narrow head with a steeply drooping forehead. A saddle-like concavity forms between the forehead and the nasal bones. The disproportionately small eyes of animals have oval brown or black pupils, and short, fluffy eyelashes grow on the upper eyelid.

Rhinos have a well-developed sense of smell: it is on it that animals rely more than on other senses. The volume of their nasal cavity exceeds the volume of the brain. Also, rhinos have a well-developed hearing: their ears, like tubes, constantly rotate, catching even faint sounds. But the sight of the giants is bad. Rhinos can only see moving objects from a distance of no more than 30 meters. The location of the eyes on the sides of the head prevents them from seeing objects well: they first see the object with one eye, and then with the other.

The upper lip of Indian and black rhinos is very mobile. It hangs down a little and covers the lower lip. The rest of the species have straight, clumsy lips.

The jaws of these animals are constantly missing any teeth. In Asian species, incisors are present in the dental system throughout life; in African rhinos, incisors are missing in both jaws. Fangs are absent in rhinos, but in each jaw there are 7 molars, which are strongly erased with age. The lower jaw of the Indian and black rhinoceros is also decorated with pointed and elongated incisors.

The main distinguishing feature of rhinos is the presence of horns growing from the nasal or frontal bone. Most often it is one or two unpaired outgrowths that have a dark gray or black color. The horns of a rhinoceros are not made of bone, like in bulls, or, but of the protein keratin. Needles, human hair and nails, bird feathers, and the armor of an armadillo consist of this substance. In composition, the outgrowths of rhinos are closer to the horny part of their hooves. They develop from the epidermis of the skin. In young animals, when injured, the horn is restored; in adult mammals, it no longer grows back. The functions of the horns have not yet been studied enough, but scientists have found that females whose horns have been removed are no longer interested in their offspring. It is believed that their main purpose is to push trees and grasses apart in thickets. This version is supported by changes in the appearance of the horns in adults. They become polished, and their front surface is somewhat flattened.

The Javanese and Indian rhinos have 1 horn 20 to 60 cm long. The white and Sumatran rhinos have 2 horns each, and the black has 2 to 5 horns.

The horn of the Indian rhinoceros (left) and the horns of the white rhinoceros (right). Photo author on the left: Ltshears, CC BY-SA 3.0; photo author on the right: Revital Salomon, CC BY-SA 3.0

The longest horn of the white rhinoceros, it grows in length up to 158 cm.

Rhinos are heavy, thick-skinned mammals with three-toed, short, massive limbs. At the end of each toe, they have a small, wide hoof.

The animal's footprints are easy to recognize: they look like a clover leaf, as the rhinoceros rests on the surface of the soil with all of its toes.

The most "woolly" modern rhinoceros is Sumatran, it is covered with bristly brown hairs, the thickest in young individuals.

The skin of the Indian rhinoceros is collected in voluminous folds, which makes this animal look like a knight in armor. Even his tail is hidden in a special groove in the shell.

Where does the rhino live?

In our time, from a once large family, only 5 species of rhinoceros have survived, belonging to 4 genera, all of them have become rare and are protected by people from people. Below is the data of the International Union for Conservation of Nature on the number of these animals (data checked January 5, 2018).

Three species of rhinos live in Southeast Asia:

  • The most numerous of them, indian rhino(lat.Rhinoceros unicornis), lives in India and Nepal, inhabiting floodplain meadows. The species is vulnerable, the number of adults in May 2007 was 2575. 378 of them live in Nepal and about 2,200 in India. The rhinoceros is listed in the International Red Book.
  • The situation is worse with Sumatran rhinos(lat.Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), the number of which does not exceed 275 adults. They are found on the island of Sumatra (in Indonesia) and in Malaysia, they settle in swampy savannas and mountain rain forests. Perhaps the range of habitat of several individuals includes the north of Myanmar, the state of Sarawak in Malaysia, the island of Kalimantan (Borneo) in Indonesia. The species is endangered and listed in the International Red Book.
  • Javan rhino(lat. Rhinoceros sondaicus) turned out to be in a particularly deplorable state: the mammal can be found only on the island of Java in reserves specially created for its conservation. The Javanese lives in the plains of permanently humid tropical forests, in thickets of bushes and grass. Animals are on the verge of extinction, and their number does not exceed 50 individuals. The species is listed in the International Red Book.

Two species of rhinoceros live in Africa:

  • White rhino(lat.Ceratotherium simum) lives in the Republic of South Africa, was introduced to Zambia, and also reintroduced to Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Uganda, Zimbabwe. Inhabits dry savannahs. Mammals are believed to have become extinct in Congo, South Sudan and Sudan. The species is close to a vulnerable position and is listed in the International Red Book, but thanks to protection, its number is gradually increasing, although back in 1892 the white rhino was considered extinct. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the number of white rhinos as of December 31, 2010 was approximately 20170 units.
  • (lat. Diceros bicornis) is found in countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Also, a certain number of individuals were reintroduced in the territory of Botswana, the Republic of Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia. The animal prefers arid places: sparse forests, acacia groves, steppes, shrub savannas, the Namib desert. It can also be found in mountainous areas up to 2700 meters above sea level. In general, the species is on the verge of extinction. According to the International Red Data Book, by the end of 2010, there were about 4880 individuals of this species in nature.

There are slightly more white and black rhinos than their Asian counterparts, but the white rhino has already been declared completely extinct several times.

Rhinoceros lifestyle in the wild

These mammals often live alone without forming herds. Only white rhinos can gather in small groups, and females with calves of all species coexist for some time. Females and males of rhinoceroses are only together during mating. Despite such a love of loneliness, they have friends in nature. These are dragons, or buffalo starlings (lat. Buphagus), small birds that constantly accompany not only rhinos, but also elephants, buffaloes, wildebeests. The birds peck at insects from the backs of mammals, and also warn them with a cry of the approaching danger. From the Swahili language, the name of these feathered askari wa kifaru is translated as “protectors of rhinos”. Mites from the skin of rhinoceroses also like to eat away and, waiting for animals in their mud baths.

Rhinos strictly guard their territory. The area of ​​the pasture and the reservoir on it are in the "personal use" of one individual. Over the years, animals trample their paths on the territory, arrange places for taking mud baths. And African rhinos also organize separate latrines. For a long time, impressive heaps of manure are formed in them, which perform the function of an aromatic landmark and do not allow them to lose their territory. Rhinos mark their lands not only with dung: old males mark areas where they often graze with odorous marks, spraying urine on grass and bushes.

Black rhinos are more often active in the early morning, as well as at dusk and at night: at this time of day they try to get enough, and this is very difficult for such giants to do. During the day, the rhino sleeps in the shade, lying on its stomach or side, or spends time lying in the mud. These hulks have a very strong sleep, during which they forget about any danger. At this time, you can easily sneak up on them and even grab them by the tail. Other rhino species are active both day and night.

Rhinos are cautious animals: they try to stay away from people, but if they feel threatened, they actively defend themselves, attacking first. Rhinos run at a maximum speed of 40-48 km / h, but not for long. Black rhinos are more hot-tempered, attack quickly, and it is impossible to stop such a colossus. Their white counterparts are more peaceful, and human-fed cubs become completely tame and are happy to communicate with people on any occasion. Matured females even allow themselves to be milked.

Rhinos are quite noisy animals: they snort, snort, purr, squeal, moo. Grunting and even whinnying can be heard when animals graze peacefully. Disturbed mammals make sounds similar to loud snoring. Females grunt, beckoning to their cubs, which squeal, having lost sight of their mother. Wounded and trapped rhinos roar loudly. And during the rut (breeding period), a whistle is heard from the females.

Most of these mammals do not know how to swim at all, and rivers become insurmountable obstacles for them. The Indian and Sumatran rhinos swim well across the water bodies.

How long does a rhino live?

Rhinos live long enough. In zoos, their lifespan often reaches 50 years. The black rhino lives in the wild for 35-40 years, the white rhino - 45 years, the Sumatran - 32, and the Indian and Javanese - no more than 70 years.

What does a rhinoceros eat?

Rhinos are strict vegetarians who eat up to 72 kg of plant foods per day. The main food of the white rhinoceros is grass. With his wide, sufficiently mobile lips, he can also pick up fallen leaves from the soil. Black and Indian rhinos eat the shoots of trees and bushes. Herbivorous animals pull out acacia sprouts right from the root and destroy them in large numbers. Their wedge-shaped upper lip (proboscis) allows them to grip and break off hanging branches. The black rhino loves elephant grass (Latin Pennisetum purpureum), aquatic plants, milkweed and young reed shoots. The favorite food of the Indian rhino is sugar cane. The Sumatran rhino feeds on fruits, bamboo, foliage, bark and young shoots of trees and shrubs. He also loves figs, mango fruits and mangosteen. The food of the Javanese rhinoceros consists of grass, foliage of vines, trees and shrubs.

In zoos, rhinos are fed with grass, and hay is prepared for them for the winter, in addition to which they are entitled to vitamin supplements. Branches of trees and shrubs must be added to the food for black and Indian species.

Rhinos feed at different times of the day. Black mainly grazes in the morning and evening, other species can lead an active lifestyle both day and night. Depending on the weather, the animal needs from 50 to 180 liters of water per day. In dry periods, equids can do without water for 4-5 days.

Breeding rhinos

Male sexual maturity occurs at about the 7th year of life. But he can go to reproduction only after he acquires his own territory, which he can defend. This requires an additional 2-3 years. The mating season for some rhinos begins in spring, but most of the species are not confined to the season: they rut every 1.5 months. And then serious fights begin between the males. Before mating, the male and female chase each other and may even fight.

A female's pregnancy lasts an average of 1.5 years. Once every 2-3 years, she gives birth to only one relatively small cub. A newborn rhinoceros can weigh from 25 kg (like white rhinos) to 60 kg (like Indian rhinos). In a white rhinoceros, the baby is born hairy. After a few minutes, he gets to his feet, the day after birth, he can follow his mother, and after three months he begins to eat plants. But all the same, the main part of the diet of a small rhinoceros is mother's milk.

The female feeds the cub with milk for a whole year, but he is with her for 2.5 years. If during this period the mother has another cub, then the female drives the older one away, although most often he will return soon.

Enemies of rhinos in nature

All animals are wary of an adult rhino. Only a person ruthlessly destroys it to this day, despite all the prohibitions and protective measures.

Elephants treat rhinos "respectfully", try not to get on the rampage. But if they happen to collide at the watering place, and the rhino does not give way, then a fight cannot be avoided. The duel often ends with the death of a rhinoceros.

Many predators like to feast on delicious meat of rhino cubs: Nile crocodiles, etc. At the same time, equids are protected not only by horns, but also by the fangs of the lower jaw (Indian and black). In the fight between an adult Indian rhinoceros and a tiger, the latter has no chance. Even the female easily copes with the striped predator.

Types of rhinos, names and photos

  • White rhinoceros (lat.Ceratotherium simum)- the largest rhino in the world and the least aggressive among the rhinoceros. The body length of the white rhino is 5 meters, the height at the withers is 2 m, and the weight of the rhino is usually 2–2.5 tons, although some adult males weigh up to 4–5 tons. One or two horns grow from the nasal bones of the animal. The back of the animal is concave, the belly hangs down, the neck is short and thick. The mating season for representatives of this species begins in November - December or July - September. At this time, males and females form pairs for 1-3 weeks. The female is pregnant for 16 weeks, after which she gives birth to one calf weighing 25 kg. They become sexually mature in 7-10 years. Unlike other species, white rhinos can live in groups of up to 18 individuals. More often, females and their cubs are united in them. In case of danger, the herd takes a defensive position, hiding the babies inside the circle.

The white rhino feeds on grass. The daily rhythm of this species is highly dependent on the weather. In the heat, they take refuge in mud ponds and shade, in cool weather they seek refuge in the bush, at moderate temperatures they can graze both day and night.

  • Black rhinoceros (lat.Diceros bicornis) widely known for its aggressiveness towards humans and other species. The rhino weighs 2 tons, the length of its body can be 3 m, and the height at the withers reaches 1.8 m. On the large head of the animal, 2 horns are clearly distinguished. Some subspecies have 3 or 5 horns. The upper horn is often longer than the lower, reaching 40-60 cm in length. A feature of the black rhinoceros is the movable upper lip: it is massive, slightly pointed and slightly covers the lower part of the mouth. The natural color of the animal's skin is brownish gray. But depending on the shade of the soil in which the rhino likes to wallow, its color can be very different. Only where volcanic soils are common is the color of the rhino skin really black. Some representatives of the species are nomadic, others are sedentary. They live alone. Pairs found in savannahs are females with calves. The breeding period of the black rhino does not depend on the season. The female carries the cub for 16 months, the baby is born with a weight of 35 kg. Immediately after a few minutes after birth, the little rhinoceros gets to its feet and begins to walk. His mother feeds him with her milk for about two years. She gives birth to a new baby in 2–4 years, and until that time the first child is with her. Animals feed on young shrubs and their branches.

An adult black rhino has few enemies in nature. It only poses some danger to him. The main competitor is the elephant. Unlike other rhino species, black is not aggressive towards members of its own species. There were cases when females helped a pregnant compatriot, supporting her during difficult transitions. In a calm state, the black rhino walks with its head lowered, and raises it when it looks around or is angry. Along with lions, buffaloes and elephants, black rhinos are among the big African five as the most dangerous animals on the continent and at the same time the most coveted hunting trophies. The horn of the black rhinoceros, like the horns of all other members of the family, has been considered medicinal since ancient times. For these reasons, the mammal has always been brutally exterminated, but this has been especially intense over the past 100 years. Since 1960, the global population of black rhinos has declined by 97.6%. In 2010, there were approximately 4,880 animals in it. For this reason, it was included in the Red Data Book of the Earth under the heading "Taxa in Critical Condition".

  • Indian rhinoceros (lat.Rhinoceros unicornis) lives in savannas and places overgrown with bushes. The largest individuals reach a length of 2 meters, a height at the withers of up to 1.7 m and a body weight of 2.5 tons. The thick pink skin of the animal is gathered in massive folds. The tail of the Indian rhinoceros, also called one-horned, is decorated with a brush of coarse black hair. The horn of the females resembles a slight bulge on the nose. In males, it is clearly visible and grows up to 60 cm. During the day, the Indian rhino lies in mud solutions. In a reservoir, several individuals can easily coexist side by side. Benevolent hulks in the water let on their backs many birds: starlings, bee-eaters, which peck blood-sucking insects from their skin. Their peacefulness instantly disappears as soon as they come out of the puddles. Males often fight and leave shallow scars on each other's skin. With the onset of dusk, herbivores go out in search of food. They eat reed stalks, aquatic plants and elephant grass. Indian rhinos are good swimmers. Cases have been recorded when their representatives easily overcame the wide river Brahmaputra.

A female rhinoceros that has a cub can unexpectedly attack travelers. She often rushes at elephants with riders on their backs. A properly trained elephant stops, then the rhino also freezes in the distance. But if the elephant starts to flee, then the driver may not resist and fall. Then he will have a hard time, because it is almost impossible to run away from the attacking rhinoceros. Indian rhinos live up to 70 years. The older the animal becomes, the more lonely it leads. Each individual has its own territory, which the animal carefully guards and marks with manure.

Sexual maturity of females occurs at 3-4 years, males - at 7-9 years. The interval between pregnancies of a female can be 3-4 years. Indian rhinos have one of the longest gestation periods, lasting 17 months. All the time before the onset of a new pregnancy, the mother takes care of the baby. During the mating season, males fight not only among themselves, but also with females pursuing them. Males must prove their strength and ability to defend themselves.

  • - this is the most ancient representative of the family. The skin of the animal is 16 mm thick, covered with bristles, which are especially dense in young individuals. For this feature, the species is sometimes called the “hairy rhinoceros”. A large fold of skin runs along his back and behind his shoulders, and skin folds hang over the eyes of the animal. There are incisors on the lower jaw of the equine, and a brush of hair flaunts on the ears. The armored rhino has two horns, the front of which grows up to 90 cm. But the rear one is so small (5 cm in females) that the animal seems to be one-horned. The height of the Sumatran rhinoceros at the withers is 1.4 m, its length reaches 2.3 m, and the animal weighs 2.25 tons. This is the smallest species of modern rhinos, but it still remains one of the largest animals on earth.

Day and night, the animal lies in muddy puddles, which it often makes on its own, having previously cleared the area around it. It becomes active with the onset of dusk and during the day. The Sumatran rhino eats bamboo, fruits, figs, mangoes, leaves, branches and bark of wild plants, sometimes visits fields sown by man. This is a rather agile animal, it easily overcomes steep slopes and knows how to swim. The giant leads a solitary lifestyle. He marks the territory with excrement and scars on tree trunks, left by him with the help of horns. The female bears a cub for 12 months. She brings one baby once every three years and feeds him with milk until 18 months. The mother teaches the cub to find water, food, shelter, places for taking mud baths. The female reaches sexual maturity at the age of 4 years, the male by the age of 7 years.

  • now found only in the west of Java in the Ujung-Kulon Peninsula Nature Reserve. The inhabitants of Java call it "vara" or "varak".

In size, it is close to the Indian, and they belong to the same genus, but the physique of the warak is more lean. The height at the withers varies from 1.4 to 1.7 m, the size (length) without the tail is 3 m, and the rhinos weigh 1.4 tons. Females are completely devoid of horns, and in males, the length of a single horn is only 25 cm. a fold of skin of individuals of this species rises, and does not bend back, as in the Indian rhinoceros. His favorite food is the leaves of young trees, he also eats the foliage of shrubs and vines.