Francais | English | Espanõl

Sumatran Rhinoceros

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Dicerorhinus)

Jump to: navigation, search

iSumatran Rhinoceros

Image:Rauhohr-Nashorn-drawing.jpg

Conservation status

Image:Status iucn2.3 CR.svg
Critically endangered (CR)

</div>

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Perissodactyla
Family:	Rhinocerotidae
Genus:	Dicerorhinus Gloger, 1841
Species:	D. sumatrensis

Binomial name

Dicerorhinus sumatrensis
Fischer, 1814

Subspecies

Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni
Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis
Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotis

The Sumatran Rhinoceros, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis is the smallest extant rhinoceros species, as well as the one with the most fur, which allows it to survive at very high altitudes in Borneo and Sumatra. Due to habitat loss and poaching its numbers have declined and is one of worlds rarest mammals. The Sumatran Rhinoceros is the last surviving species in the same group as the extinct Woolly Rhinoceros.

1 Anatomy
2 Range
3 Habitat
4 Behavior & Ecology
5 Reproduction
6 Population & Threats
7 Subspecies
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Anatomy

Typically a mature Sumatran Rhinoceros stands about 130 cm high at the shoulder, a body length of 240-315 cm and weighs around 700 kg, though the largest individuals have been known to weigh as much as 1,000 kilograms. Like the African species, it has two horns, the largest is the front (25-79 cm) and the smaller being the second which is usaully less than 10 cm long. The males have much larger horns than the females. Hair can range from dense (the most dense hair in young calves) to scarce and the color of these rhinos are reddish brown. The body is short and has stubby legs. They also have a prehinsile lip.

[edit] Range

Formerly, the Sumatran Rhinoceros extended in a continuous distribution as far north as Myanmar and eastern India but poaching has made it extinct in Thailand and Vietnam, whilst it has not been seen in Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar for many years. Now, they are mainly found only in Sumatra and Borneo.

[edit] Habitat

The Sumatran Rhinoceros live in lowland secondary rainforest, swamps and moss forests. It likes hilly areas close to water, particulary steep upper valleys with alot of undergrowth. Also secondary forest where the upper canopy is broken by smaller shrubs and vines where there is plenty of food. Although the Sumatran Rhinoceros have been pushed into higher altitudes because of humans.

[edit] Behavior & Ecology

The Sumatran Rhinoceros are solitary creatures. Individuals have home ranges, bulls are around 30 square km whereas females range from 10 to 15 square km. Salt licks are essential for their home territory. Marking their territory is done by soil scrapes, bent saplings, and excrement. They eat and are most active at dawn and just after dusk. But meanwhile during the day they wallow in mudbaths to cool down and rest. These rhinos can swim very well and can easily handle steep hills. During the rainy season they go up to higher elevations and down to the valleys in the cooler months.

Feeding does occur just before nightfall and in the morning. They are browsers and have a diet of young saplings, leaves, fruits, twigs and shoots. The rhinos usaully consume up to 50 kg of food a day. Salt licks are very important to these animals. Essential nutrients are obtained from these.

[edit] Reproduction

Females become sexually mature at the age of 4-6 years and males become sexually mature at 7-8 years old. Females only come into estrus unless a male is nearby. The gestation period is around 400 days and the calve is weaned at 16-18 months and stay with the mother for 2-3 years. The birth interval for this species is 3-4 years.

[edit] Population & Threats

Once quite numerous throughout southeast Asia. Now only about 200 individuals remain, almost all in Sundaland. It is critically endangered due to destruction of its rainforest habitat and illegal poaching. In the past decade its population has dropped 50%. Most remaining habitat is in inaccessible mountainous areas of Indonesia, where the government has shown no inclination to discourage clearing of rhino habitat for the benefit of the timber industry.

Poaching of Sumatran Rhinoceros, though less of a problem than with African Rhinoceros (at least in terms of number of animals killed), is particularly insidious because dealers who stock Sumatran Rhinoceros horn (whose price is unknown but is probably at least US$200 per gram) know that once the species becomes extinct, the price of its horn will increase exponentially. Hence, dealers wish to hasten the extinction of the species.

Attempts to replenish their numbers by breeding them in captivity have been met with difficulty. One of the few recent success stories is a female calf born on July 30, 2004 in the Cincinnati Zoo [1].

[edit] Subspecies

There are three subspecies:

Eastern Sumatran Rhinoceros, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni Once common throughout Borneo. Now only 50 indiviuals remain and all live in Sabah, Borneo and there are unconfirmed reports of animals surviving in Sarawak and Kalimantan. Logging and illegal poaching has been the reason for its demise.

Western Sumatran Rhinoceros, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis Only 300 animals are alive and mainly lives only in Sumatra. Threats agaisnt them is habitat loss and illegal poaching. The difference between the Eastern Sumatran Rhino is only a slight difference in genetics.

Northern Sumatran Rhinoceros, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotis Once it roamed in India and Bangledesh but now are sadly extinct. Although their may be a very small population still surviving in Myanmar but this is not confirmed.

[edit] References

Asian Rhino Specialist Group (1996). Dicerorhinus sumatrensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Critically Endangered (CR A1bcd, C2a v2.3)
Khan, M.K.M. 1986. Asian Rhinoceros Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Asian Rhino Specialist Group Gland, Switzerland.
Vidyadaran MK, Rozyati TH, Richard XM, Zainal-Zahari Z, Abdullah MT. 1992. The cervical vertebrae of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis). Malayan Nature Journal 46:53-63.
Zainal-Zahari Z, Abdullah MT, Suri MSM. 1990. The husbandry and veterinary care of captive Sumatran rhinoceros at Zoo Melaka. Malayan Nature Journal 44: 1-19.
Zainal-Zahari Z, Vidyadran MK, Abdullah MT, Rozyati TH, Peng BT. 1990. Observation on the skeleton of the Sumatran rhinoceros. Jurnal Veterinar Malaysia 2(1): 59-61.
Abdullah MT, Zainal-Zahari Z, Shukor MD, Norliah B, Zainun AB. 1987. Notes on the birth of a Sumatran rhinoceros at Malacca Zoo. J. Wildlife and Parks 6:39-42.
Flynn RW, Abdullah MT. 1983. Distribution and number of Sumatran rhinoceros in the Endau-Rompin region of Peninsular Malaysia. Malayan Nature Journal 36: 219-247.
Zainal-Zahari Z, Abdullah MT, and Mohd Samsuddin MS. 1990. Precopulatory behaviour in Sumatran rhinoceros at Zoo Melaka. Proceeding of the Third Conference of Southeast Asia Zoos, Bogor.
Zainuddin ZZ, Abdullah MT, Suri MSM, and Marid-Hassan ARK. 1990. Milk composition of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Proceedings of the 2nd Congress of Veterinary Association of Malaysia. pp 121-122.
Richard XM, Zainuddin ZZ, Vidyadran MK, and Abdullah MT. 1990. Some aspects on the behaviour of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Proceedings of the 2nd Congress of Veterinary Association of Malaysia. pp 118-120
Zainuddin ZZ, Sheikh-Omar AR, and Abdullah MT. 1989. Severe necrotizing enteritis in a Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). First Congress of the Veterinary Association of Malaysia.
Abdullah MT, Zainuddin ZZ, and Suri MSM. 1989. A review of the Sumatran rhinoceros conservation programme and assessment of management alternatives for the future. In Proceedings of the International Conference on National Parks and Protected areas. Kuala Lumpur, pp 191-205.
Abdullah MT and Abidin ZZ. 1986. Konservasi hidupan liar di Malaysia. Seminar Zoologi Kebangsaan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Abdullah MT. 1977. Hutan kita akan pupus menjelang 1990. Utusan Malaysia 25 Oktober 1997.
Abdullah MT. 1977. Maka runtuhlah satu lagi keagungan kita. Utusan Malaysia. 24 Oktober 1977.