Black Rhinoceros Research Paper

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Its prehensile, triangular upper lip characterizes the black rhinoceros. The species uses its upper-lip to act as a finger-like extension to browse for branches and shrubs. Anatomically, the black rhinoceros is substantially smaller than the other African species. Males can weigh up to 3,000 pounds while females can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. An adult black rhinoceros can stand at heights of five feet tall. Unlike the white rhinoceros, the black rhinoceros has a small head, which requires fewer muscles in the hump of their neck to reach browse from high trees. Both male and female black rhinoceros lead solitary lives, meeting only to court and mate.
Black rhinoceros courtship consists of various different forms of scent marking. When a female is in oestrus, her urine will develop a very distinct scent that males are able to identify. Scent marking is a “crucial method of communication for black rhinoceros, as they have extremely poor eyesight and often live in solitary” (Save The Rhino, 2016). Urine spraying is a common form of scent marking that allows males to mark their territory. Spraying bursts can reach up to 10 feet. Dung piles, or middens, are another form of scent marking. Black rhinoceros defecate repeatedly in one spot, or …show more content…

Broadleaf forests provide protection against solar radiation and a steady water and food supply. Javan rhinoceros are often found wallowing in the mud, which is essential for thermal regulation and clearing the skin from ectoparasites. These rhinoceros are also known as the lesser one-horned rhinoceros because they are similar in stature to the Indian rhinoceros, but with a smaller build. Javan rhinoceros stand less than five feet tall and weigh approximately 3,000 pounds. Like Indian rhinoceros, they have long, sharp, dagger-like incisors used for fighting and defending their

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