Endangered and Rare
In the dense forests of tropical Africa, thousands of these creatures were alive. Now, only a few are left. I am talking about the rhinoceros. the rhinoceros, usually called the rhino, gets its name from its horn. the word rhinoceros comes from the Greek words rhino(nose) and ceros( horn). For hundreds of years, rhino horn has been used by people as medicine for fever and stroke. However, rhino horn is made of keratin, the same substance of what our hair and nails are made of. Just like hair and nails, a rhino horn doesn't have any healing powers. Nevertheless, the rhinos still are being killed for their horns. Rhino horn is so valuable that in some areas of the world, it can be old on the black market for three times the price of gold!
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| Sizes of the five species of rhino |
Illegal poaching is one of the chief reasons that rhinos are so rare today.
There are five species of rhinos. White and black rhinos are native to eastern and southern Africa. greater one-horned rhinos can be found in northern India and southern Nepal. Sumatran and Javan can be only found in small areas of Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Illegal poachers have destroyed the rhino populations in Asia and Africa. Indian and black rhinos have been reduced to only a few thousand animals, while white rhinos may exist in numbers in excess of 7,500. Sumatran and Javan are the rarest species of rhino. Scientists believe that there are 400 and fewer Sumatran rhinos and only less than 100 Javan rhinos left in the world.
Source: www. wonderopolis.org
Thoughts on Poaching
Poaching is the chief cause of the decrease of rhino population. According to Wikipedia, in the wild, adult rhinoceroses only have one natural predator, human. Although rhino's are viewed to be tough, they are easily poached. The rhino's visit to water holes daily can be easily killed while drinking. Only Nepal has avoided poaching, while poachers become more sophisticated. About 69% of rhinos are located in Nepal. To prevent poaching in some areas, the rhinos are tranquilized and have their horns taken off, being less likely to be killed.
Top Five Rhinoceros Species
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This is the white rhino. It is actually grey, not white.
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This is a black rhino. it looks like the white rhino, but has a wider snout.
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3.
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This is the Indian rhino(also known as the greater one-horned rhino). It is the largest species of rhino.
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This is a Javan rhino. It is one of the rarest species of rhino.
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| This is the Sumatran rhino. it is the smallest, and one of the rarest species of rhino. |
Thinking Matters
What other uses does the rhino horn have other then medicine? I challenge you to research this topic and then comment on it.
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