Rhino Facts Worth Saving

Here are some rhino facts worth pondering over. Two species of rhinos exist in Kenya; the black rhino and the white rhino.

Read on for more fascinating facts on rhinos...

• The Kiswahili name for a rhino is kifaru.

• A female rhino is called a cow, a male a bull, a baby rhino a calf and a group of rhinos a crash.

• Rhinos are herbivores, so they eat only grass, tender shoots, leaves, buds and other vegetation but no meat.

• These Kenya animals live in scrubby savannahs but also near water and wallows.

• The black and white rhino species derive their names, not from the colors of their coats but from the shape of mouths.

  The white rhino derives its name from the Dutch word "weit" which means "wide." The white species' square wide mouth is suitable for grazing. The black rhino's mouth is triangular and is suitable for browsing.

• Rhinos grow to a height of about 152 cm (60 in) at the shoulder.

• An adult rhino's weight ranges from about 1,600 kg (3,527 lb) for the black species to about 2,550 kg (5,622 lb) for the white species.

  As such, it is the second largest land-based mammal after the African elephants

• Rhinos are extremely bad-tempered and it is not unusual for them to charge at human being or even cars for no apparent reason, probably because they have a pretty poor eyesight.

  Therefore, you should always steer well clear of these herbivores.

• Despite being generally aggressive, the rhino is best friends are the red-billed and yellow-billed oxpeckers, one of the ubiquitous Kenya birds.

  This is probably on account of the fact that these birds devour the ticks they find on the rhino coat and they alert rhinos to impending danger by chirping ceaselessly.

• Rhinos have an well-developed sense of smell and hearing.

• The sounds these animals make range from bellows, growls, grunts, snorts to squeaks.

• The rhino can attain a speed of 48 km (30 mi) per hour, which considering its weight is quite fast. In addition, contrary to a commonly held myth, a rhino is able to make a sharp turn in a remarkably small space.

• Gestation lasts 16 months and culminates in the birth of a single calf. The mother nurses its calf for 2 to 4 years or until the next calf is born. These calves eventually wander off and live on their own when they mature.

• Typically, a rhino has a lifespan of about 40 years in the wild.

• Both rhino species have 2 horns, with the longer one sitting at the base of the nose. These horns are primarily a weapon which the rhinos use to gore or strike their hapless victims.

• The saddest rhino fact is that this animal is gravely endangered as it has been poached to near-extinction around the world. This is in order to satisfy demand for its horn in China, where it is ground in order to turn it into what is mistakenly believed to be a potent aphrodisiac. In addition, the rhino horn is much sought-after in Yemen where it is used as a dagger sheath

• Although Kenya's population plummeted from 65,000 in 1970 to a paltry 2,500 in 1992, thanks to concerted regeneration and conservation efforts by a range of stakeholders, the rhino population is slowly but steadily recovering.
• Owing to their sizeable rhino populations, the best destinations for a rhino safari in Kenya are Lake Nakuru National Park, Nairobi National Park, Aberdare National Park, Tsavo National Park and Masai Mara National Reserve, the jewel in the crown of the Kenya National Parks.

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