SUMATRAN RHINO

 

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News Flash

Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhino dies. The Sumatran rhino, the smallest species of rhinoceros, was declared extinct in the wild in Malaysia in 2015.

• Wildlife experts estimate that only about 30 to 80 Sumatran rhinos remain in the world, mostly on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and on the Indonesian side of Borneo.
• Their isolation, caused by habitat loss and poaching, means they rarely breed and may go extinct in a matter of decades.
• Since 2011, Malaysia has tried to breed the species in captivity through in vitro fertilization, but without success.

 

Sumatran Rhino

• It is also known as the hairy rhinoceros or Asian two-horned rhinoceros.
• It is the smallest rhinoceros.
• The Sumatran rhinoceros lives in both lowland and highland secondary rainforest, swamps, and cloud forests.
• It has two horns; the larger is the nasal horn, while the other horn is typically a stub.
• The larger nasal horn is also known as the anterior horn; the smaller posterior horn is known as the frontal horn.
• A coat of reddish-brown hair covers most of the Sumatran rhino’s body.
• In historical times, they lived in southwest China, particularly in Sichuan. They are now critically endangered.
• The Sumatran rhino is a mostly solitary animal except for courtship and offspring-rearing.
• It is the most vocal rhino species and also communicates through marking soil with its feet, twisting saplings into patterns, and leaving excrement.

 

Source: Indian Express

 

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