Rhinoceros is the hallmark of Africa. No wonder he was included in the top five animals, which in the old days were the most treasured safari trophies. Interestingly, this giant has poor eyesight, but with his power and huge size, this does not matter much for an animal.
Many wildlife lovers are wondering if the rhinoceros is a carnivore or a herbivore? What kind of life he leads. We will try to answer these questions in the article.
External Features
One of the largest land mammals is second only to the elephant. The length of his body ranges from 2 to 5 meters with a weight of 1 to 3.5 tons and a height of 1-3 meters. It would seem that such dimensions leave no doubt that the rhinoceros is not a herbivore, but a predator. But let's not jump to conclusions.
Today, only five of the once numerous species have survivedfamilies: three of them live in Southeast Asia (Indian, Sumatran and Javanese). Two more species are representatives of the African fauna - black and white rhinoceros.
The animal has a powerful body covered with folds of thick skin. The legs are massive, heavy, with three hooves on each. The head of a rhinoceros is narrow, long, with a lowered forehead. Small eyes with brown or black pupils look contrast against the background of a large head. We said that the vision of these giants is not very good: they see only moving objects at a distance of no more than 30 meters.
Their location on the sides does not allow the rhinoceros to see well even a moving object: he sees it first with one eye, and then with the other. The sense of smell is well developed, which is why the giants rely on it the most. Hearing is also well developed: their ears are like tubes that are in constant motion, capturing the faintest sounds.
Depending on the species, a rhinoceros may have one or two horns on its nose. The second is located closer to the head, it is much smaller. In a young animal, the horns can regenerate after being wounded; in older animals, they cannot. The functions of this process have not been fully studied by zoologists, but a curious fact was revealed: when the horn is removed, the female loses interest in offspring. The white rhino has the longest horn - 158 cm!
Rhino predator or herbivore?
Its impressive size is misleading to many, so they consider it a predator. The rhinoceros is actually a mammalwhose main diet from birth to the age of one year is mother's milk.
What do rhinos eat besides milk? At a week old, they first try the grass, which later becomes the basis of their "menu" for life. When asking ordinary people whether the rhinoceros is a carnivore or a herbivore, the researchers encountered a massive misconception: most of the respondents called them carnivores. Despite their solid size and well-developed muscles, rhinos are members of the herbivore family.
What do rhinos eat?
All types of rhinoceroses lead a twilight lifestyle. They come out to graze at sunset. Each species has its own food preferences, but, as a rule, they feed on young trees, their fruits and leaves. One adult animal consumes about 50 kilograms of vegetation per day. Preference is given to the family of Euphorbia or Madder.
To get to one or another type of plants growing on hills, the rhinoceros leans with its weight on the trunk of a tree. Some species change habitat quite often due to lack of vegetation.
How long does a rhino live?
These large animals live for a long time: African rhinoceroses live on average up to 40 years in natural conditions, and in zoos life expectancy increases to 50 years. Recognized centenarians in the family are Javanese and Indian rhinos, living up to 70 years.
We hope that now you know the answer to the question: is the rhinoceros a predator or a herbivoreanimal?
