The Last Unicorn?
The rhinoceros, a prehistoric horned creature, is not a legend yet! Even though the largest land mammal of all time-a two story high, 25 ton rhino ancestor-became extinct 10 million years ago, several distant relations are still wallowing in mud holes of tropical Africa and Asia. The five modern species are: the one-horned Javan and Indian rhinos, the two-horned Sumatran rhino in southeast Asia, and the two horned white and black rhinos in Africa.

Creature Features
Rhinoceroses are surviving members of ancient animals called ungulates which were among the first to evolve hooves. Rhinos are odd-toed ungulates that have three toes on each foot. All rhinos have horns which are made of keratin fibers, the same material found in our hair and nails. Black rhinos have two horns. The front horn measures usually between 18" and 48" and the rear horn is about 7" long. Horns are very important tools for reaching tree branches, digging for mineral salts, and defending themselves and their young.

Black rhinos are also known as the prehensile or hook-lip rhinos. This lip is a special tool used for browsing on leaves and twigs thereby enabling the black rhino to survive in areas where grass is scarce. After pulling down and breaking branches with the front horn, they pick out the tastiest vegetation with their finger-like lip.

Rhinos have very small eyes compared to their large size. Perhaps because they don't see well, black rhinos sometimes charge approaching vehicles which gives them an aggressive reputation. They have rotating ears that help them to determine the direction of suspicious sounds. Their excellent hearing and a very good sense of smell allow the rhinos to detect danger from a distance and give them time to escape or to prepare to defend their offspring from lions and spotted hyenas.

Social Graces
Many ungulates travel in herds, but the black rhino, especially the adult male, spends much of its life alone. A mature cow gives birth to a calf every 3 to 4 years and it will remain with the mother until it is weaned. When a new baby is born, the juvenile will set out on its own or join forces with one or more calves the same age. When the growing rhino reaches adulthood it will become solitary, except during the rainy months when it will seek out another rhino to breed.

A Valuable Treasure
At one time the black rhino was the most abundant of all 5 species. In recent years it has declined most rapidly and is in great danger of extinction. In 1970 there were about 65,000 black rhinos, but today less than 2,000 remain in Africa. The reason for the decline is poaching. Rhinos are being killed for their horns. In some countries rhino horn is more valuable than gold. In East Asia, powdered horn is believed to reduce fever and other ailments. In North Yemen, the whole horn is used to make dagger handles.

Conservation organizations all over the world are working with African countries to stop the decline of the black rhino. Namibia and Zimbabwe have started dehorning programs to discourage poachers from hunting the few remaining animals. However, without their horns, females seem less capable of protecting their young from predators. Other efforts to save them include putting the remaining black rhinos in heavily protected reserves and imposing trade sanctions on countries which continue to deal in the trade of illegal products made from endangered animals.

With the loss of the black rhino we will lose a magnificent creature, and also a valuable link to the past. Because there are so few of these animals left, only a united worldwide effort to stop the unnecessary killing of the black rhino will allow it to survive into the future.

"When the last rhino in the wild dies, we will have witnessed the unthinkable, the loss of a species during this era of modern conservation and environmental sensitivity." David K. Willis

Browsing: feeding on plants other than grasses, especially foliage