Many majestic animals on this earth are in grave danger due to the greed of man- be it the elephant for its ivory tusks, the tiger for its skin and claws, or the rhinoceros for its horn.
The Indian one - horned rhinoceros is one such animal that is slow disappearing. This rhino that was once found throughout the entire stretch of the Indo - Gangetic Plain is today reduced to very few numbers due to excessive poaching. Today, only about 2,000 Indian one - horned rhinos live in the wild, 1,200 of which are found in Assam alone.
The Indian one - horned rhino is the largest of the Asian rhinos. That is why it is also called the 'great one - horned rhino'. The uniqueness of the Indian rhino is its single horn, in contrast to the African rhinos that have two horns. Indian rhinos are brownish - grey in colour and are hairless.they live in tall grasslands and forest near rivers, but due to the loss of their habitat they often stray into cultivated land. The word rhinoceros means ‘nose-horn'. The animal is so named because of the single large horn that grows at the tip of its nose. The horn is typically 20-61 cm long, and weighs upto three kg. The rhino uses this horn for defence and for uprooting bushes and small trees. The hide ( skin ) of this massive creature is very thick and tough and it functions as a protective shield.
A rhino is a good swimmer and can run at a speed of 55 km per hour. Its diet mainly consists of grasses , but the rhino is also known to eat leaves, fruits, branches of shrubs and trees and submerged and floating aquatic plants. It has an excellent sense of hearing and smell but a relatively poor eyesight. Although a rhino is a good - tempered animal, it is a fearful opponent when wounded.
The Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Pobitora reserve forest, Orang National Park and the Laokhowa reserve forest in Assam, India and the Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal are homes of this endangered animal. The Kanziranga National Park is the biggest success story of rhinoceros conservation.
The Indian one - horned rhino is the largest of the Asian rhinos. That is why it is also called the 'great one - horned rhino'. The uniqueness of the Indian rhino is its single horn, in contrast to the African rhinos that have two horns. Indian rhinos are brownish - grey in colour and are hairless.they live in tall grasslands and forest near rivers, but due to the loss of their habitat they often stray into cultivated land. The word rhinoceros means ‘nose-horn'. The animal is so named because of the single large horn that grows at the tip of its nose. The horn is typically 20-61 cm long, and weighs upto three kg. The rhino uses this horn for defence and for uprooting bushes and small trees. The hide ( skin ) of this massive creature is very thick and tough and it functions as a protective shield.
A rhino is a good swimmer and can run at a speed of 55 km per hour. Its diet mainly consists of grasses , but the rhino is also known to eat leaves, fruits, branches of shrubs and trees and submerged and floating aquatic plants. It has an excellent sense of hearing and smell but a relatively poor eyesight. Although a rhino is a good - tempered animal, it is a fearful opponent when wounded.
The Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Pobitora reserve forest, Orang National Park and the Laokhowa reserve forest in Assam, India and the Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal are homes of this endangered animal. The Kanziranga National Park is the biggest success story of rhinoceros conservation.
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