Rhinoceros - a visiting card of Africa. No wonder he was included in the top five animals that in the old days were the most treasured safari trophies. Interestingly, this giant has low vision, but with its power and huge size, it does not really matter for the animal.
Many wildlife lovers are interested in who the rhino is: a predator or a herbivore? What is his way of life. 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 a size leaves no doubt that the rhino is not a herbivore, but a predator. But let's not rush to conclusions.
Today, only five species from a once large family have survived: in Southeast Asia, three of them live (Indian, Sumatran and Javanese). Two more species are representatives of the African fauna - black and white rhino.
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 the rhino is narrow, long, with a forehead down. Small eyes with brown or black pupils look contrasted against the background of a large head. We said that with vision these giants do not matter: they only see moving objects at a distance of no more than 30 meters.
Their location on the sides does not allow the rhino to see a well-moving object: he sees it at first with one eye, and then with the second. The sense of smell is well developed, which is why giants rely on it most of all. The hearing is also well developed: their ears are like tubes that are in constant motion, picking up the faintest sounds.
Depending on the species, a rhino has one or two horns on its nose. The second is closer to the head, it is much smaller. In a young animal, the horns can recover after being wounded, in the old - not. The functions of this process by zoologists have not been fully studied, but a curious fact has been revealed: when the female removes the horn, interest in the offspring disappears. The longest horn has a white rhino - 158 cm!
Rhinoceros predator or herbivore?
Its impressive size is misleading to many, so they consider it a predator. In fact, a rhinoceros is a mammal, the main ration of which from the moment of birth to the execution of one year is mother's milk.
What do rhino eat besides milk? At a weekly age, they first try grass, which later becomes the basis of their "menu" for life. When questioning ordinary people whether a rhinoceros is a predator or a herbivore, researchers are faced with a massive misconception: most of the respondents called them carnivores. Despite its solid size and well-developed musculature, rhinos are representatives of the herbivore family.
What do rhinos eat?
All types of rhinos lead a twilight lifestyle. Graze they go out at sunset. Each of the species has its own food preferences, but, as a rule, they feed on young trees, their fruits and leaves. One adult animal per day consumes about 50 kilograms of vegetation. Preference is given to the family of euphorbiaceae or madder.
To get to a particular type of plant growing on higher ground, the rhino leans its weight on the trunk of a tree. Some species change habitats quite often due to lack of vegetation.
How long does a rhino live?
These large animals live long: African rhinos in vivo live on average up to 40 years, and in zoos life expectancy increases to 50 years. Recognized long-livers in the family are Javanese and Indian rhinos, surviving up to 70 years.
We hope that now you know the answer to the question: rhino predator or herbivore?