Everyone knows that the elephant is the largest creature on earth. Who, then, is given second place in the list of giant animals? It is rightfully occupied by the Indian rhinoceros, which among its relatives is the unsurpassed leader in size. This resident of Asia is called the one-horned or armored rhinoceros.
The one-horned heavyweight impresses with its huge size and power. When you look at him, it seems that you see a native of the ancient world. In appearance, a clumsy, clumsy and slow giant in armor, if necessary, is able to reach speeds of up to 40 km / h. He has an excellent reaction and in moments of danger he can move very quickly. The amazing creation of the Indian rhinoceros! Where does such a miracle of nature live, what does it eat, how does it reproduce? You will find answers to these questions in this article.
What an Indian rhinoceros looks like
The armored Indian rhinoceros, the photo of which you can see in the article, as mentioned earlier, is a huge animal. Adults can weigh up to2.5 tons and even more. In height, males grow up to two meters at the shoulders. Females are smaller and heavier. Their skin is folds located on large areas of the body and which, by the way, are a characteristic feature of this species. From a distance, they look like they are wearing armor, hence the name of these animals.
The skin of a rhinoceros is naked, gray-pinkish in color, although it is almost impossible to distinguish this color. The thing is that Indian rhinos just love to "swim" in puddles. From such baths, the body of the animal is covered with a layer of dirt.
Skin thick plates bear knobby swellings. And on the shoulders there is a deep fold, bent back. There are slight tufts of coarse hair on the ears and tail.
The eyesight of rhinoceros is very weak and their eyes are small. They usually look with a sleepy look with an offended expression. And the horn, of course, serves as the main decoration of the animal. It can reach a length of 50-60 cm, but in most representatives of this species it does not exceed 25-30 cm. In females, this decoration is more like a pointed bump on the nose.
The horn is not the only weapon of rhinos to protect against enemies. Their lower jaw is armed with powerful incisors, with which the beast can inflict terrible wounds on the enemy.
Where to find the Indian Rhino
European colonization of Asia led to the appearance of white-skinned hunters with guns in the area. Indian rhinoceros turned out to be a tasty hunting trophy. The uncontrolled shooting of these animals has caused the almost complete disappearance of powerfulbeauties from places of free habitat. You can now see them only in the reserves. Also, a small number of these animals are found in places difficult for humans.
The historical habitat of armored rhinos is very large. But in the modern world, these giants live only in southern Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and East India. In all these territories, these animals live in reserves, where they are strictly protected. In the wild without supervision, one-horned giants are found in the Pakistani province of Punjab, in the remote wilderness of Bangladesh and the surrounding regions of India.
Wildlifestyle
Indian rhinos are solitary. You can’t exactly call them sociable and friendly. You can see two rhinos side by side in one place only when they bask in the water, taking baths. But as soon as these giants come ashore, the friendly mood disappears, and it is replaced by aggression and hostility. Often, after a bath hour, animals arrange fights among themselves, while receiving serious wounds and scars for life.
Each rhinoceros jealously defends its territory (about 4000 m²), which is marked with huge piles of manure. On the site of the animal there must be a small lake or at least a puddle. An ideal option when the beast owns part of the shore of a large reservoir. It is interesting that such a large animal can swim well and is able to swim even very wide rivers.
Indian rhinos "speak" not at all expressively, but their own rulesthese giants have communication. If the animal is alarmed by something, it emits a loud snore. When the animals graze peacefully, they grunt from time to time with pleasure. The same sounds are heard from the mother, who calls her cubs. During the mating season, the female can be heard and recognized by special whistling sounds. If the rhinoceros gets into a hopeless situation, is injured or caught, then he roars loudly.
What do rhinos eat
The one-horned rhinoceros is a herbivore. Representatives of this species prefer to go out to the pasture in the morning and in the evening, when the heat is not so annoying. During the sun, they take mud baths, bathe in lakes or reservoirs. Often the meal and water procedures coincide, the animals feed directly in the water, without which they simply cannot exist.
The menu of the Indian rhinoceros consists of elephant grass and young reed shoots. Animals get such food with the help of the upper keratinized lip. Aquatic plants are also included in the diet of these giants.
Reproduction
The first time a female rhinoceros participates in mating games at the age of three. It is she who pursues the male during the rut. It happens to rhinos every one and a half months. The male is ready for breeding only from 7-8 years old.
The female's pregnancy lasts 16.5 months. The cub is born only one, but rather large, its weight ranges from 60 to 65 kg. It looks more like a pig than a rhinoceros - just as pink and even with the same muzzle. Only here are all the characteristic outgrowths and folds, excepthorns give out in the baby belonging to the kingdom of rhinos.
Population
In captivity, Indian rhinos can live up to 70 years, in the wild such centenarians are not found. Compared to the Javanese and Sumatran, the armored rhinoceros is considered to be a fairly prosperous species, there are about 2,500 of its representatives.
Moreover, their number is steadily increasing. But still, despite the apparent well-being, the Indian rhinoceros (the red book confirms this) is considered a vulnerable species and must be protected.
