Their horns are large as well: the front (anterior) horn is larger and. Rhinos’ horns are composed of keratin (the same material as skin, nails and hair) and are used as weapons against predators and to display dominance when threatened by other rhinos. Black rhinoceros are imposing animals, with an adult weighing in at more than one ton. The Southern white rhinoceros' front horns are is on average about 60 cm long, but can grow up to 1.5 metres. This involves fertilising Fatu’s eggs using frozen sperm from deceased male Northern rhinos and then transferring them to a surrogate Southern white rhino at a later date, in the hope that a new Northern white calf will eventually be born. They have thick skin which protects them from the sharp grasses and thorns found in the African savannah. To help protect rhinos in Kenya, they are kept in fenced and highly protected areas. Black rhinos biggest threats are poaching for their horns and habitat loss. Poaching for their horns and habitat loss are the primary threat to eastern black rhinos. Scientists are involved in a complicated project to save the Northern white rhino subspecies. The black rhinoceros is best known for its two horns protruding from the skull, which are made of keratin. Less than 100 individuals live in South Africa, which is outside their historical range. The last male rhino, Sudan, died in 2018. The two remaining Northern white rhinos are called Fatu and Najin and are both female. Northern white rhinosĪs of 2021, there are only two remaining individuals of the other subspecies of white rhino, the Northern white rhino. Currently, the best way to move individuals from one protected area to another is to immobilize them using anesthesia. Their name comes from the Afrikaans word “weit” which means wide, referring to the shape of their mouth. Eastern black rhinos are territorial and aggressive in addition to being incredibly large in size, so we take extreme care when working in the field with them. There is actually no colour difference between the black and white rhinos species, despite their names.
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