Hobbies And Interests
Lifestyle and Types
A group of rhinos is called a crash, but most of them, especially males, live rather solitary lives. They have notoriously bad eyesight, and its aggressiveness is usually a reaction to a perceived instead of a real threat. Rhinos only eat grasses and leaves. The five types of rhinos are Sumatran, black and white, which have two horns, and the Javan and greater one-horned rhinos, which have one. Black rhinos, which actually are a brownish gray, can gallop at speeds close to 40 mph.
Water
Rhinoceroses, which get their name from the Greek words for horn and nose, have a close relationship with water. Rhinos will travel up to 15 miles a day to locate a water supply. When they find a suitable water source, rhinos may drink from 15 to 25 gallons of water in a day. They'll also get water from plants, or burrow in the dirt to find underground water. They can't sweat, so they will frolic in water or mud to cool down.
Symbiosis
Oxpeckers, also called tickbirds, supposedly form mutually beneficial relationships with rhinos by feeding on external parasites that could hurt the animal. Additionally, when the birds detect a predator in the area, they take to the air and squawk fiercely to alert the rhinos. However, researchers Alan G. McElligott and colleagues from the University of Zurich in Switzerland did a study in 2004 that refuted the mutual nature of this relationship. The researchers placed oxpeckers into an enclosure with rhinos with existing wounds, and saw the birds feeding on the blood, even creating new wounds on the rhino.
Territoriality
Rhinos use urine to define territorial boundaries. Dominant males also keep 30 piles of dung, called "middens," in their territories. They scatter their feces around the territory and scrape their dung-covered feet over the ground. Dominant bulls will challenge other males that encroach upon their territories. These displays, which include loud vocalizations and horn bashing, are normally for show and seldom do actual damage. Non-dominant males show submission by flattening their ears and retreating while screeching.
Rhino Collectors
In the past, poachers made a living by killing rhinos and selling their horns. Ancient Chinese people used rhino horns to make cups that supposedly detected poison in fluids. Keratin, a hard substance in the horns, reacted to the presence of bases by producing bubbles and erroneously detected "poison" in the most innocuous drinks. As of 2011, ground-up rhino horns are still used in some countries to reduce fevers and cure headaches. In Yemen, people use horns to adorn the handles of daggers.