Asian Rhinoceros: Javan and Sumatran

There are 5 kinds of rhinoceros.

Two kinds live in Africa and three kinds live in Asia.

Rhinos have horns on their noses.

Rhinoceros eat plants.

The closest living relative to rhinoceros is the horse.

The word 'rhinoceros' comes from two Greek words:
rhino meaning 'nose' and ceros meaning 'horned'.

There are five different species, or kinds, of rhinoceros.
Two kinds are in Africa and three are in Asia.

A rhinoceros has one or two horns on its nose, depending on what kind of rhino it is.

The hard, sharp horn is made of stiff matted hair, not of bone like the horns of other animals. If broken, the horn grows back.

Asian Rhinoceros species
Two of the three Asian rhinoceros species are found in Indonesia. They are named after the islands on which they are found: Sumatra and Java (and some of the Javan are also found in Vietnam).The third Asian rhinoceros is the Indian rhinoceros.

The Javan and Sumatran Rhinoceroses live in wooded areas, in thick rainforests where they are hard to see. They are smaller than the other kinds of rhinoceros to make it easier to move in the rainforest. Both species can swim, and generally live in places where there is good water supply. Both species are solitary (live alone), except at breeding time. They wallow in mud to keep cool and for protection from the sun and biting insects.

Both species are browsers, which means they feed on the shoots, twigs, leaves and fruit of trees and bushes. They also eat the fallen fruit of certain plants. Both use their jaws and chest to bend trees so they can feed from branches at the top. Both species have a pointy upper lip to help them feed from bushes and trees by grabbing leaves and pushing them into the mouth.

About16 months after mating, a female rhinoceros, or cow, gives birth to one calf, which she protects fiercely, charging at enemies and attacking with her sharp front teeth and horn. Young stay with their mothers for about 2 years.

All rhinoceroses have large heads, small eyes & solidly muscled bodies. All five species of rhinoceros have three toes on each foot. They have poor eyesight, but excellent hearing and sense of smell.

The Javan Rhinoceros is the rarest of the five species: there are only about 60 left in the wild. There are some in Vietnam as well as in Java.

The skin of the Javan Rhinoceros forms heavy folds, and looks a bit like armour. Males have one horn, about 25cm long, and females have a small horn or none at all. The Javan Rhinoceros is about 165 cm tall and weighs about 900-2,000 kilos. It often lies in streams, where small fish and crabs feed on the insects that live on its skin. It can go for several days without drinking, and may travel great distances to find water if necessary.

The Sumatran Rhinoceros is the smallest of the five species of rhinoceros, at 135 cm in height and about 1,000 kilograms in weight. There are some in Malaysia and Brunei as well as on Sumatra.

The Sumatran Rhino has two horns and is the only one of the five species that has fur - it has a coat of shaggy hair.

The Sumatran rhinoceros is able to swim across wide rivers with ease. It is extremely shy and difficult to observe.

.Conservation status
Both these rhinoceros species are critically endangered.
It is estimated that there are about 300 Sumatran rhinoceroses and only about 60 Javan rhinoceroses left in the wild. The Javan rhinoceros could well be the most endangered animal in the world.

Threats
Rhinoceros have been hunted for their horns, which are considered by some to be a magical medicine to cure fever.

Their rainforest habitat is being rapidly cut down and palm plantations established.

Both the Javan and the Sumatran rhinoceroses are very difficult to breed in captivity.

If you use any of this information in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Javan and Sumatran Rhinoceros (2001). [Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au