10/28/2023 0 Comments Endangered black rhinocerosAlthough there is not a single scientific report to back up the claims that rhino horn can cure cancer or impotence, these beautiful creatures continue to be killed at an alarming rate: the last Vietnamese rhino was shot and killed in 2009, and in November of 2011 the Western Black Rhinoceros was declared extinct by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources (IUCN). With poaching reaching record levels in 2011 (443 killed last year, up from just 13 in 2007), rhino horns have been valued at up to $45,000 a pound on the black market. To put it bluntly, because their horns are worth a ridiculous amount of money due primarily to lies purporting their healing and aphrodisiac properties causing a rapidly increasing demand in the traditional Asian medicinal market. Black rhinos have poor eyesight, but an excellent sense of hearing and smell, using their large, rotating ears to detect predators. In addition to the shape of the lips, you can distinguish black from white rhinos by their smaller size and the position of their heads: Where white rhinos are grazers who prefer grass, black rhinos hold their heads higher to browse on leaves and twigs. The two horns on their skulls are made out of keratin (the same substance in human hair and fingernails), can grow up to more than 50 inches in length, and are used for defense and digging up roots and breaking branches during feeding. The black rhino averages 52-70 inches in height at the shoulder, and 9-12 feet in length, with adults typically weighing anywhere from 1800 to over 6000 pounds. The black rhino, on the other hand, has a pointed, hooked lip, and the two species are now often referred to as square-lipped and hooked-lipped rhinos. Its African counterpart, the white rhino, was originally so named due to a misinterpretation of the Afrikaans word wyd (or wide), which refers to its square upper lip. “Black rhinoceros” is actually a misnomer, as the animal’s skin has more of a light grayish-brown color. WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM- Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and U.S. SPECIES- Black Rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis)ĬURRENT THREAT- Illegal poaching, Habitat lossĬONSERVATION STATUS- Critically Endangered
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