Did you know that the Javan Rhinoceros is one of the rarest mammals?
The Javan rhinoceros ("rhino") weighs 1500 - 2000 kg (3200 - 4400 lb) and has a length of 3 - 3.5 m (10 - 11'). It has one horn and prominent folds in the skin, similar to the Indian rhino. The horn grows onto a roughened area of the skull (rather than being "rooted" in the skull). The Javan rhino is hairless except for its ears and tail tip. Its thick gray skin is divided by deep folds to make a "saddle" over the neck. The single horn rarely exceeds 25 cm (10") long and is lacking in some females.
The Javan rhino prefers tall grass and reed beds in lowland rain forests with a good supply of water and plentiful mud wallows. Formerly, it generally preferred low-lying areas. Although it now occupies hilly areas up to 2000 m (6550'), this likely is a result of being driven into suboptimal upland habitats due to the pressure of human settlement in lowland areas. In Vietnam it occurs on very steep hills covered with thick bamboo and rattan stands. The Javan rhino is primarily a browser. Its diet consists of shoots, twigs, young foliage and fallen fruit. It is diurnal and nocturnal. It remains near water and enjoys bathing and wallowing in mud. Javan rhinos are mostly solitary except for mating pairs and mothers with young. The male is probably territorial, marking his territory with dung piles and urine pools. He encounters potential mates at suitable muddy wallows.
Formerly, the Javan rhino was widespread and often abundant from Bangladesh east through Myanmar and southwest China to Vietnam and south through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia to Sumatra and Java (Indonesia). It has dwindled to only two known populations, in the Udjung Kulon National Park in Java (Indonesia) and the Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. It may also still exist in other locations.
Why is the Javan Rhinoceros becoming extinct?
There are two major reasons for the Javan rhino's decline. The first one is poaching of the rhino for its horn. Rhino horn is valued highly for use in Oriental medicine (as a drug to reduce fever), and in Yemen horns are carved to make traditional dagger handles. The second reason is habitat loss due to clearing of lowland forest. The most critical threat to the Javan rhinos in Vietnam is the continued conversion of forestland into agricultural land.
Taken from http://www.animalinfo.org/species/artiperi/rhinsond.htm
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