Rhinoceros Predators

Rhinoceros Predators

Due to the size and the aggressive nature of the Rhinoceros there are few predators that it naturally has to be worried about. When a Rhinoceros is small it has the biggest risk involved with dangers from predators. The young are often curious and they may venture too far from their mothers. When certain predators including large cats, wild dogs, and crocodiles see this they may spring into action and feed before the mother can do anything to prevent it.

In areas of the natural habitat where the food sources for wild cats and dogs is harder to find they will take more risks. While these animals are very intelligent they already know that their own survival depends on food. When they are desperate they will take a chance to feed on a baby Rhinoceros. Even when they are newly born they weigh more than 88 pounds so this is plenty of meat for a meal.

The birds that perch on the bodies of the Rhinoceros feed from ticks that are on them as well as a variety of insects. These birds are also believed to be able to warn the Rhinoceros of danger. The wild cats and dogs are good predators, especially the cats. They can have a strategy that can be very calculating.

When the birds fly away it is often something obvious to these animals that there is a risk around them. Several females will likely create a circle with their bodies and place all of the young in the middle of it. They are able to better protect them this way than individually.

The Nile Crocodile may be willing to try to take down an adult Rhinoceros as well. When they are drinking in the water they aren’t paying close attention to what is going on in the water. The sharp jaws of the Nile Crocodile can take them into the water and drown them fast. Most of the time though these crocodiles will try their luck with the young rather than take a risk of being harmed themselves by the larger Rhinoceros.

Even though the Rhinoceros is feared by other animals it has more than its fair share of problems with humans. These animals are very predictable when it comes to where they will look for food and where they will go for water. Hunters have no trouble establishing themselves in these areas and waiting for the Rhinoceros to appear.

In many instances the hunting takes place so that the various cultures can continue their practices. For example in Chinese medicine the ground up powder from the Rhinoceros horn is considered to be a prime ingredient for helping people to heal.

Over the course of time the efforts of Rhinoceros hunters have become more sophisticated. They have weapons today that make it possible to kill them from a very long distance. They also have tools that allow them to remove the horns and leave the ret of the body lying right where they killed it.

The volume of killing that has occurred against the Rhinoceros is what is responsible for them almost being completely wiped out. In addition to them being killed for the horns they have also been killed in acts of revenge. Since these animals are known to attack humans many of the villagers are very fearful of them.

Getting rid of the Rhinoceros so that they don’t consume food sources that the villagers want to have themselves is another reason. Even so, such efforts have always been on a much smaller scale than when people come to hunt them for the thrill of it.