Wild Nature Institute
  • Science
    • Giraffe
    • TUNGO
    • Spotted Owl
  • Education
    • Environmental Education
    • Snag Forest
    • Forest Fire Truths
  • Action
    • Save The Giraffe
    • Corridor Campaign
    • Snag Forest
    • Forests For Everyone
  • Donate
    • Ways To Give
    • Purchase NFT
    • Adopt A Baby Giraffe
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Monica
    • Derek
    • James
    • Veila
    • Our International Team
    • Our Tanzanian Partners
Updates From the Field and News From Wild Nature

Big, Horny, and Beautiful

1/4/2016

1 Comment

 
Watching a rhinoceros is like stepping back in time 5 million years.  These behemoths, like giraffes, elephants, and hippopotamuses, are some of the few remaining “megaherbivores,” plant-eaters that weigh more than a ton and were once common throughout the world.  Today's megaherbivores are mostly restricted to Asia and, especially, Africa.  Like all megafauna, rhinos live a long time (up to 35 years in the wild), have slow population growth rates, low adult mortality rates, and few natural predators capable of killing adults.  Their slow reproductive rates make their populations vulnerable to human overexploitation.
Picture
Instead of incisors, the black rhino has a triangular, flexible upper lip for grasping browse and grass.
Millions of years ago, more than 30 genera of rhinoceroses were found throughout Eurasia, North America, and Africa, but only 5 species in 4 genera survived into modern times.  All 5 species now teeter on the brink of extinction.  As we reported in an earlier blog, the mass extinction of megaherbivores in North America during the Pleistocene epoch reduced soil and plant fertility.  The modern-day extinction of rhinoceros could similarly damage ecosystems.
Black rhinos—the only species in Tanzania—have two horns, which grow continually from the skin at their base like human fingernails.  The front horn is longer than the rear horn, males tend to have thicker horns, and females usually have longer and thinner ones (see photos below).
Picture
Male black rhinos have thicker horns than females.
Picture
Note the long, thin horn on this female black rhino. The calf will remain with her for 2-4 years.
The horn is made of thousands of compressed hair-like strands of keratin (same material as hair and fingernails), making it extremely tough, but it can be broken or split during fighting.  Uncontrolled poaching for horns, used in Yemen for ceremonial dagger handles and in Asia for traditional medicine, decimated the rhino population in Tanzania to only 32 in 1995.  The species remains critically endangered.
Black rhinos are most easily seen in the Ngorongoro Crater, especially during the rainier months.  We saw 11 rhinos on a recent trip to the Crater, and caught a glimpse of one male’s impressive penis.  According to veterinarian and rhinoceros expert Dr. Nan Schaffer, a fully erect rhinoceros penis extends up to two and a half feet and is shaped like a lightning bolt.  To accommodate it, the reproductive tract of the female rhino is also quite long, with many twists and angles of its own.
Picture
Note the fascinating shape of the male rhino's penis, and the dirt on his horn from scent-marking.
The penis is curved backwards, allowing the characteristic rear-directed urination.  Urine spraying is a common form of scent marking, both for males marking their territory, and also for females to signify to nearby bulls when they are in estrus.  Spraying bursts can reach up to 3-4 meters away and males often follow a spray with vigorous horning of the urine-soaked soil and vegetation.  Scent-marking is critical for communication, as rhinos have extremely poor eyesight.
One way to help protect and restore rhinoceroses is to financially support bold, effective, grassroots organizations working to stop the poaching crisis.  The best group in Tanzania is PAMS Foundation.  PAMS works tirelessly to ensure a future for megaherbivores like elephants, rhinos, giraffes, as well as other animals suffering from poaching.
1 Comment
Naturalist
5/15/2019 10:45:48 am

I may or may not have been researching the structure of rhino genitalia (out of purely academic interests of course) and ended finding this great article.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Science News and Updates From the Field from Wild Nature Institute.

    Follow @WildNatureInst

    RSS Feed


    If You Love Us,
    Make A Donation!

    All Photos on This Blog are Available as Frame-worthy Prints to Thank Our Generous Donors.
    Email Us for Details of this Offer.

    Archives

    January 2023
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    January 2011

Home
About Us
Monica Bond
Derek Lee
James Madeli
Our Tanzanian Partners
Our International Team
Juma The Giraffe
Celebrating Africa's Giants

Science
   Giraffe
   TUNGO
   Spotted Owl
Education
   Environmental Education
   Snag Forest
   Forest Fire Truths

   Sinema Leo Video Children's Books
Action
   Save The Giraffe
   Corridor Campaign
   Snag Forests
   Forests For Everyone
Donate
   Ways To Give
   Purchase NFT
   Adopt A Baby Giraffe


Wild Nature Institute Logo
Mailing Address:
Wild Nature Institute
PO Box 44
Weaverville, NC 28787

Phone: +1 415 763 0348
Email: info@wildnatureinstitute.org

The Wild Nature Institute is a New Hampshire non-profit corporation and a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.
© Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.
View Wild Nature Institute's Privacy Policy
  • Science
    • Giraffe
    • TUNGO
    • Spotted Owl
  • Education
    • Environmental Education
    • Snag Forest
    • Forest Fire Truths
  • Action
    • Save The Giraffe
    • Corridor Campaign
    • Snag Forest
    • Forests For Everyone
  • Donate
    • Ways To Give
    • Purchase NFT
    • Adopt A Baby Giraffe
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Monica
    • Derek
    • James
    • Veila
    • Our International Team
    • Our Tanzanian Partners