1st May: Save the Rhino Day

Today is Save the Rhino day. Here is all you need to know about rhinos:

1. There are five species of rhinoceros alive today, one of which, the Javan rhino, is the rarest animal on the planet with a population of only about 50 left in the wild.
2. The Javan rhino, the Indian rhino and the Sumatran rhino are all native to Asia. The Black rhino and the White rhino live in Africa. The black rhino isn't black, and the white rhino isn't white - they are both Grey. It's thought that white rhinos weren't named for their colour at all but for the shape of their mouths, which are wider than a black rhino's mouth, and that "wide" morphed into "white". Subsequently the black rhino was so called to distinguish it from the white rhino.
3. A rhino's horn is made from keratin, the same stuff out hair and fingernails are made of, albeit with a strong mineral deposit through the middle. If the horn breaks off, the rhino can grow a new one.
4. It is possibly because of the horn that rhinos are endangered. Even though the horn has no more nutritional or magical properties than chewing your hair or nails, people in Asia nevertheless believe that powdered rhino horn cures fever, headache, gout, rheumatism and food poisoning.
5. An old belief that rhino horn can detect poisons in drinks may have some truth in it. Strong alkaline poisons may produce a chemical reaction with keratin, so cups made out of rhino horn may have reacted when poison was put in them.
6. A group of rhinoceros is called a ‘herd’ or a ‘crash’.
7. Rhinos are the largest land animal on earth after the Elephant. They have thick skin - a rhino's skin is generally about 1.5-5 cm thick, but can be as thick as 5cm.
8. They have a reputation for being grumpy animals, possibly because their eyesight is bad and so any movement can frighten them, because they can't see what it is. The flocks of birds which feed off ticks and parasites on the rhinos' skin help the rhino in another way - they spot danger before the rhinos can and cause a commotion so the rhinos know something is up. When it comes to running away, a rhino can outrun a human. A rhino can run at 28mph and a black rhino can even get up to 40mph.
9. The rhino's nearest relatives are Horses, Zebras and Tapirs.
10. Millions of years ago, there were rhino species which stood 16 feet tall at their shoulders, were 26 ft long, and weighed 18 tons. There were also woolly rhinos adapted for life in cold climates. At the other end of the scale, there were rhinos which were no bigger than a Dog.

See details of all my books

Browse other topics I've covered in this blog - HERE.

Like my Facebook page for news of Topical Ten posts posts on my writing blog, a weekly writing quote and news of upcoming publications