Indian Rhinoceros

Indian Rhinoceros

Introduction

Next to the White Rhinoceros the Indian Rhino is one that many people are familiar with. They are up there on the list as one of the most dangerous types of Rhinoceros due to the aggressive nature of them.

Description

The grayish coat of the Indian Rhinoceros looks like panels of armor. They are very large in size with an average weight between 4,5000 and 6,600. They range in height from 7 to 8 feet. They can be up to 13 feet long. This particular species has one horn that starts to develop when they are about 6 years of age.

When you look closely at the body of the Indian Rhinoceros you will find that it is covered with bumps that look like warts. They are usually on the legs and the shoulder region. They also have very little hair on their bodies.

Distribution

The Indian Rhinoceros is found in select areas of both India and Nepal.  The tall grasslands around the rivers is where you will usually find the Indian Rhinoceros living. They are also located in the foothills around the Himalayas. There are approximately 3,000 of them remaining in the wild.

Behavior

The home range of these Rhinoceros often overlap with each other. They are generally found living alone with the exception of when they are forced to live very close to each other for food supplies. The females are very good at caring for their young. These animals can be very aggressive towards each other when it comes to mating and when food is hard to find.

The Indian Rhinoceros is often found in bodies of water. They are well known for being excellent swimmers. They often spend time in the water so that they can cool their bodies from the heat of the sun.

Diet /Feeding

They are mainly grass eaters and fit into the category known as grazers. They also eat a variety of other foods including leaves, tress, shrubs, and tree branches. They consume seasonal fruits and blossoms from various plants as well. They use their bodies to walk over tall grass and to break it down. Then they are able to consume it with their mouths.

They drink water more frequently than other species of Rhinoceros. While they don’t drink much at all they are often going to drink at least twice per day. They can go for a few days without water but it is dangerous for their vital organs.

Reproduction

Mating usually takes place around 4 years of age for the females and 6 years of age for the males. It takes about 15 months after mating for a young calf to be born. It can be up to five years between births due to the time each mother spends to care for her young. This is a prime reason that it is also hard to get the numbers of them to increase at a fast pace. The young feed from the milk of their mothers as well as start to eat grass when they are just a few weeks old.

Conservation

Thanks to conservation efforts that include reducing poaching and protecting their natural habitat there is hope for their future. Studies show that the number of Indian Rhinoceros continue to increase at a slow rate in this location. They used be very popular in the grasslands of Terai and are slowly starting to show that they do so once again in the future.

They do fairly well in captivity but they are very aggressive in such a location. It usually isn’t cost effective or safe to house them in various zoo locations or types of reserves where they have limitations.