Sanjet: Rare Animals

Javan Rhinoceros

The Javan rhinoceros ("rhino") weighs 1500 - 2000 kg (3200 - 4400 lb) and has a length of 3 - 3.5 m (10 - 11'). It has one horn and prominent folds in the skin, similar to the Indian rhino. The horn grows onto a roughened area of the skull (rather than being "rooted" in the skull). The Javan rhino is hairless except for its ears and tail tip. Its thick gray skin is divided by deep folds to make a "saddle" over the neck. The single horn rarely exceeds 25 cm (10") long and is lacking in some females.

The Javan rhino prefers tall grass and reed beds in lowland rain forests with a good supply of water and plentiful mud wallows. Formerly, it generally preferred low-lying areas. Although it now occupies hilly areas up to 2000 m (6550'), this likely is a result of being driven into suboptimal upland habitats due to the pressure of human settlement in lowland areas. In Vietnam it occurs on very steep hills covered with thick bamboo and rattan stands. The Javan rhino is primarily a browser. Its diet consists of shoots, twigs, young foliage and fallen fruit. It is diurnal and nocturnal. It remains near water and enjoys bathing and wallowing in mud. Javan rhinos are mostly solitary except for mating pairs and mothers with young. The male is probably territorial, marking his territory with dung piles and urine pools. He encounters potential mates at suitable muddy wallows.

Formerly, the Javan rhino was widespread and often abundant from Bangladesh east through Myanmar and southwest China to Vietnam and south through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia to Sumatra and Java (Indonesia). It has dwindled to only two known populations, in the Udjung Kulon National Park in Java (Indonesia) and the Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. It may also still exist in other locations.

There are two major reasons for the Javan rhino's decline. The first one is poaching of the rhino for its horn. Rhino horn is valued highly for use in Oriental medicine (as a drug to reduce fever), and in Yemen horns are carved to make traditional dagger handles. The second reason is habitat loss due to clearing of lowland forest. The most critical threat to the Javan rhinos in Vietnam is the continued conversion of forestland into agricultural land

Data on Biology and Ecology

Size and Weight:

The Javan rhino weighs 1500 - 2000 kg (3200 - 4400 lb). Its length is 3 - 3.5 m (10 - 11').

Habitat:

The Javan rhino prefers tall grass and reed beds in dense lowland rain forests with a good supply of water and plentiful mud wallows. Formerly, it generally preferred low-lying areas. Although it now occupies hilly areas up to 2000 m (6550'), this likely is a result of being driven into suboptimal upland habitats due to the pressure of human settlement in lowland areas. In Vietnam it occurs on very steep hills covered with thick bamboo and rattan stands. (Nowak 1999, WCMC et al. 2000, WWF Global Network 1999)
The Javan rhino occurs in both the Indo-Burma and Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons. Intl. 2005) and the Eastern Indochina Dry & Monsoon Forests Global 200 Ecoregion. (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Age to Maturity:

A female Javan rhino reaches sexual maturity at about 3 - 4 years, a male at about 6 years (Nowak 1999).
Gestation Period:

16 months (Burnie & Wilson 2001).

Birth Season:

Between the end of February and the end of April.

Birth Rate:

One calf is born at a time. Mature females probably do not breed more often than every 4 or 5 years. (Nowak 1999)

Early Development:

The calf stays with the mother for about 2 years.

Maximum Age:

At least 21 years (captivity).

Diet:

The Javan rhino is primarily a browser. Its diet consists of shoots, twigs, young foliage and fallen fruit. In the course of feeding, branches up to 20 mm (0.8") thick are torn off, saplings are broken, and trees up to 15 mm (0.6") in diameter are uprooted. (Nowak 1999)

Behavior:

The Javan rhino remains near water and enjoys bathing and wallowing in mud. It is diurnal and nocturnal.
Some Javan rhinos may travel 15 - 20 km (9 - 12 mi) within 24 hours. (Nowak 1999)

Social Organization:

Little is known about the social behavior of the Javan rhino. Javan rhinos are mostly solitary except for mating pairs and mothers with young. The male is probably territorial, marking his territory with dung piles and urine pools. He encounters potential mates at suitable muddy wallows. (Burnie & Wilson 2001)

Density and Range:

Density

Formerly, Javan rhino population densities were greater than 0.3 individuals/sq km (0.8 individuals/sq mi) (Nowak 1999).

Range

Home ranges of the Javan rhino are small. Individuals tend to have loosely defined centers of activity where they may spend several days at a time and to which they periodically return (Nowak 1999).

Anatomy and Morphology

In the wild, adult Komodo dragon usually weighs around 70 pounds, but Komodo dragon kept in captivity often have a body weight greater. The biggest wild specimens have long been of 3:13 meters and weighing about 166 pounds, including the weight of undigested food in his stomach. Although Komodo dragon lizard was recorded as the largest still living, but not the longest. This reputation is held by the Papua monitor lizard (Varanus salvadorii). Komodo has the same tail length of the body, and about 60 pieces of jagged sharp teeth along the approximately 2.5 cm, which is often replaced. Komodo dragon saliva is often mixed with a bit of blood because her teeth almost entirely covered with gingival tissue and this tissue torn during the meal. This condition creates an ideal environment for the growth of deadly bacteria that live in their mouths. Komodo has a long tongue, yellow, and branching. Male Komodo komodo larger than females, with skin color from dark gray to brick red, whereas more female Komodo dragon, green olives, and a small piece of yellow on the throat. Young Komodo dragons more colorful, with yellow, green and white on a black background.

Poison and Bacteria

At the end of 2005, researchers from the University of Melbourne, Australia, concluded that Perentie (Varanus giganteus) and other lizard-lizard, and lizards from the tribe Agamidae, probably have some sort may. It is known that during injuries bite these animals are very prone to infection because of bacteria that live in the mouth of these lizards, but these researchers showed that the direct effect that appears in the bite wounds were caused by the entry can be powerful medium. These researchers have observed the wounds in the hand of man from the bite lizard Varanus varius, V. scalaris and komodo dragons, and all showed a similar reaction: rapid swelling within minutes, local disturbances in blood clotting, pain that gripped up to the elbow, with some symptoms lasting up to several hours later. A gland which can contain highly toxic has successfully taken from the mouth of a Komodo dragon at the Singapore Zoo, and convinced the researchers would be content that belongs Komodo dragon.

In addition can contain, komodo dragons saliva also has a variety of deadly bacteria in it; more than 28 Gram-negative bacteria and 29 Gram-positive have been isolated from this saliva. These bacteria cause septicemia in their victims, if the bite does not directly kill the Komodo dragon prey and prey that can escape, generally these unfortunate victims will die within one week of infection. The most deadly bacteria in Komodo dragon saliva seems Pasteurella multocida is a bacteria that is lethal; known from experiments with laboratory mice. Because the Komodo dragon appears immune to his own mikrobanya, many studies conducted to find the hope of antibacterial molecules can be used for human treatment.

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Monday, November 29, 2010

Rare Animals