Indian Rhinoceros

The Great Indian Rhinoceros, also called the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, is characterized by the single horn on its nose and by the loose folds of its thick skin. The horn is seen on both male and female Rhinos but not young ones below a year in age. It consists of keratin - a protein present in human hair and nails - and can grow from 20 to 60 cm in size. Adult male Rhinos have the largest horns.

Scientific Name: Rhinoceros unicornis

Habitat
The Indian rhino formerly occurred from the foothills of the Hindu Kush in Pakistan, across the sub-Himalayan region, to the India-Myanmar border on the eastern edge of the Brahmaputra watershed. By the late 19th century, the Indian rhino had been eliminated from everywhere except the Chitwan Valley (Nepal), lowland Bhutan, the Teesta Valley (west Bengal, India) and the Brahmaputra Valley (Assam, India). For most of the 20th century, known populations have been concentrated in southern Nepal and northeastern India.

Type of Rhinos in India
There are five kinds of Rhinos found in the world -
» Indian Rhino
» White Rhino
» Black Rhino
» Javan Rhino
» Sumatran Rhino

The white and black Rhinos are live in Africa, while Indian, Javan and Sumatran are Asian Rhinos, found in Noth Pakistan, Assam in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Physical Characteristics of Indian Rhino
The usual weight of an Indian Rhino is 2,000 kg. The one way to distinguish between a an Indian Rhino and an African Rhino is the single horn. Both white and black African Rhinos have two horns. Another distinguishing feature of the Indian Rhinoceros is its skin, which is knobbly and falls into deep folds at its joints, giving a look like the Rhino is wearing a coat of armour.

All the Rhinos are vegetarian and Indian Rhinos mostly eat grass, fruits, leaves and crops. Their well developed upper lip helps them to eat out tall elephant grasses, which they like the best. It also helps them to pull out aquatic plants by the roots. Indian Rhinos usually prefer to roam around in the morning and evening hours to avoid the heat of the day and live for about 40 years.
History of Indian Rhinos
The Indian rhino has occurred in the sub-Himalayan region in historic times, the western limit of its range moving eastward from the foothills of the Hindu Kush west of Peshawar (Pakistan) in the early 1500's to the Nepal terai in the 20th century. The eastern limit of its historic range is uncertain. Some authors believe that it occurred in Cambodia, Laos,Thailand and Vietnam. Others believe that it never occurred east of the India-Myanmar border, and that reports from east of that border were mistaken, caused by confusing the Indian rhino with the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) or the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis).

Distribution
By the late 19th century, extensive land clearing and hunting eliminated the Indian rhino from everywhere except the Chitwan Valley (Nepal), lowland Bhutan, the Teesta Valley (west Bengal, India) and the Brahmaputra Valley (Assam, India). Its population in India probably fell to its lowest level about 1904 (Gee 1958). For most of the 20th century, known populations have been concentrated in southern Nepal and northeastern India.

Ecology
The Indian rhino is a primarily a grazer (although occasionally consuming some browse).
When not grazing on land, immerses itself in water, where it also grazes on aquatic grass-like plants. Hence, this species is the most amphibious of the living rhino.