Rhinoceros Defense and Attack
The rhinoceros is a unique and fascinating animal. They live in Africa and Asia and there are five different species which are the white rhinoceros, the black rhinoceros, the Indian rhinoceros and the Javan and Sumatran rhinoceros. This footage was filmed at the Shamwari private game reserve in the Eastern Cape in Africa. The lion has caught some prey and the younger rhino wants to take a look. Whilst a lion would be willing to take on a younger rhino, they know better than to take on an adult. This is why you see the lion’s attitude changing dramatically when Mama turns up! All she has to do is lower her horn and walk towards the lion and that is enough. Most rhinos live alone but white rhinos may live in groups. Mothers may group together to raise their calves. The rhino method of attack is to charge at the enemy with their horn – their considerable body weight is enough to scare off most animals.
Rhino Horns
Rhinos are hunted for their horns and this has contributed to their drastic reduction in numbers. However, the different rhino species have different types of horn. White rhinos have two horns – the one at the front is larger (over 35 inches) and the back one is smaller. Black rhinos also have two horns but the front one is not quite as large as in the white rhino. Some black rhinos have a third horn. Sumatran rhinos also have two horns and the front horn can be up to 31 inches. Indian rhinos have one smaller horn (not usually much longer than 20 inches) as does the Javan rhino whose horn is more like 10 inches in length but female Java rhinos may not even have horns. Rhino horns are made up of a fibrous protein that is called keratin. The center consists of calcium and melanin layers. They are highly prized in some cultures and sadly change hands for large sums of money.
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