-S U M A T E R A N R H I N O C E R O S-
T A X O N O M Y
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Chordata | Mammalia | Perissodactyla | Rhinocerotidae |
Scientific Name : Dicerorhinus sumatrensis (G. Fischer, 1814)Common Name(s) :
| English | – | Sumatran Rhinoceros |
| French | – | Rhinocéros de Sumatra |
| Spanish | – | Rinoceronte de Sumatra |
Taxonomic Notes : There are three recognized subspecies: Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotis (probably Extinct), Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis, and Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni.
P H Y S I C A L C H A R A C T E R I S T I C
- Size: Sumatran rhino are by far the smallest species of rhino
- Weight: they weigh between 500-960 kg.
- Shoulder height: they usually stand at 1.20-1.45 metres and are about 2.50 metres long.
- Skin colour:Sumatran rhinos have a reddish-brown skin, in the wild variably covered with short bristly hair.
- Hair: these are the hairiest species of rhino. This can vary from a short, bristly coat, to a shaggy fur for those in captivity because of less abrasion from vegetation. The ears have a fringe of longer hairs, and the tail end has a tuft of thicker hairs.
- The horn: Sumatran rhinos have two horns that are dark grey to black in colour. In the wild they are usually very smooth and form a slender cone that is curved backwards. The larger front (anterior) horn is typically 15-25 cm long, and the smaller second (posterior) horn is normally much smaller, seldom more than a few cm in length, and often not more than an irregular knob on the tip of the nose. Rhino horn is made of keratin (the same as fingernails and hair fibres) and will re-grow if broken off. It is not used for fighting, but for scraping mud from the sides of wallows, pulling down food plants, and aids protection of the head and nose when breaking through dense forest vegetation.
- Distinctive characteristics: Aside from their smaller size and hairy bodies as distinguishable features of the Sumatran rhinos from other rhino species, they also have unique skin folds. There are two prominent folds in the skin that circle the body behind the front legs and before the hind legs, and lesser folds on the neck and at the base of the legs. The skin is fairly thin: about 10-16 mm, and is soft and pliable. Sumatran rhinos also have a prehensile upper lip, which assists in grasping their food.
- Sumatran rhinos can run fast and are very agile. They climb mountains easily and can negotiate very steep slopes and riverbanks. With the protection provided by the horns and rims of hard skin and cartilage on nose and head, they can easily break through the densest vegetation, leaving round tunnels
L I F E C Y C L E
Sumatran rhinos prefer lower altitudes, especially secondary forests where low-growing plants are more abundant. Their habitat ranges from lowland swamps to montane forests, but they generally favour forests with thick vegetation.
In the wild, Sumatran rhinos live at low densities and are mostly solitary. Females are thought to be territorial and to avoid one another. Adults of both sexes regularly mark their ranges with scrapes, saplings, faeces, and urine.
Females are thought to reach sexual maturity at 6-7 years, while males reach sexual maturity at 10 years.
Sumatran rhinos give birth to one calf at a time, every 3-4 years. Calves are born from October to May, which corresponds with the region's rainy season. Calves gain independence at 16-17 months and may join other juveniles before taking up a solitary lifestyle.
Their life span is thought to be similar to other rhinos at around 35-40 years.
The Sumatran rhino is a browser and feeds on fruit (especially wild mangoes and figs), leaves, twigs, and bark. Sometimes the animal will venture into cultivated areas to eat crops.
F A C T S
- Food: the Sumatran rhino is a browser, and its diet consists of a diverse range of tropical forest plant life. They eat the tips of plants growing on the forest floor, browse the leaves from sapling trees that they break to reach the crown and pull climbers from trees. They feed mostly in small patches of juicy secondary vegetation created by landslides, tree falls and along river banks. They are also fond of fruits that have fallen from the forest trees.Sumatran rhinos eat on average 50-60 kg (almost 10% of their body weight) of plant matter per day.
- Historical legend: the Sumatran rhino is considered the most “primitive” rhino species, because of its hairy skin and other prehistoric characteristics. It is the closest living relative to the famous woolly rhinoceros that lived in the frigid lands of Europe and Asia during the ice-age.
- Horn record: the longest horn ever found was 81 cm long and is now in the British Museum, London.
- Teeth: To masticate the large quantities of coarse food, rhinos have two rows of six strong broad and low-crowned molars on each side. The teeth are fitted with strong ridges of enamel, which cut the woody parts in characteristic 1-2 cm long bits. Over the years the teeth wear down by several centimetres to become shallow dish-like structures, and old animals will have problems masticating their food, will lose condition, and may eventually die of undernourishment. Sumatran rhinos, like all Asian rhinos, have long dagger-shaped lower incisor teeth. They are very sharp and are used in fighting and can inflict deep wounds. These teeth are lacking in the African rhino species.
- Digestion: Sumatran rhinos are hind-gut fermenters (they use micro-organisms in the last part of the intestine to break down indigestible parts of the food) and have a large cavernous caecum and colon.
- Longevity: Sumatran rhinos are estimated to live an average of 30-45 years in the wild; while the longevity record for those in captivity is almost 33 years.
- Senses: Sumatran rhinos have a good sense of smelling and hear very well, but are rather short sighted. When encountered in the forest, they usually run away and attacks on humans are very rare and probably mainly accidental because of the animal’s limited eyesight.
- Salt licks: these are an important asset within a Sumatran rhinos' territory. They usually materialise in the form of small hot springs, seepages of mineral water or so-called “mud volcanoes”. Each rhino has a favourite salt-lick that is visited once every one or two months, but much more often when a female is with a calf. These are important for the extraction of important minerals for the rhino's health. Wildlife trails lead from all directions to these places, and other animals like elephants, tigers, orangutans and deer, etc. visit these places also to get a supplement of scarce minerals. Salt-licks also appear to be important social focal points, where males can pick up scent marks from oestrous females. Unfortunately the big trails leading to the salt-licks also attracts poachers, who place their traps and snares around the licks.
- Wallowing: Sumatran rhinos spend a large part of the day wallowing in mud holes. They may use temporary pools and puddles which they deepen with the feet and horn. In mountain areas good places for wallows are scarce and some are used repeatedly for a very long term, and eventually become characteristic holes dug in several meters into a slope. The access to mud wallows is essential for thermo-regulation, skin condition and to get rid of ectoparasites and biting insects.
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/rhinoceros/asian_rhinos/sumatran_rhinoceros/
https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/species_of_rhino/sumatran_rhinos/factfile_sumatran_rhino
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/6553/0
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