From: Subject: Animal Info - Sumatran Rhinoceros Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:56:25 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.animalinfo.org/species/artiperi/dicesuma.htm X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3198 Animal Info - Sumatran Rhinoceros

Animal Info - Sumatran = Rhinoceros

(Other Names: Asian or Asiatic Two-horned Rhinoceros, = Badak=20 Kerban, Badak Sumbu, Hairy Rhinoceros, Rhinoc=E9ros de Sumatra, = Rinoceronte de=20 Sumatra)

Dicerorhinus sumatrensis (Didermocerus or = Rhinoceros=20 s.)

Sta= tus:=20 Critically Endangered

Contents

1. = Profile=20 (= Picture)
2.=20 = Tidbits
3.=20 <= B>Status=20 and Trends (IUC= N=20 Status, Countries=20 Where Currently Found, Population=20 Estimates, = History=20 of Distribution, = Threats=20 and Reasons= for=20 Decline)
4. = Data on=20 Biology and Ecology (S= ize and=20 Weight, = Habitat,=20 Age = to=20 Maturity, Gestation=20 Period, Bi= rth=20 Season, Birth=20 Rate, Dispersal,=20 Maximum=20 Age, Die= t, Behavior=20 (S= enses,=20 Activity=20 Patterns, Wallowing,=20 Movement),=20 S= ocial=20 Organization, = Density=20 and Range)
5. References

Profile

Pictures: Sumatran=20 Rhino #1 (Huffman = 2004);=20 Sumatran=20 Rhino #2 (31 Kb JPEG) (Intl. = Rhino=20 Found. 2002); = Sumatran=20 Rhino #3 (71 Kb JPEG) (Czech Web=20 Site)

The Sumatran rhino is a two-horned rhino weighing 600 - 950 kg (1,300 = - 2,000=20 lb). It is 1 - 1.5 m (3 - 5') tall at the shoulder. In the wild, the = adult=20 Sumatran rhino=92s hair is sparse and very short, 1 =96 2 cm (0.4 - = 0.8") long=20 except on the ear fringes and tail tip (The long shaggy brown hair that = develops=20 in zoos is an aberration caused by lack of mud wallows and thick = vegetation.).=20 In the wild, these rhinos are usually covered in mud due to their = frequent use=20 of mud wallows. This small rhino has relatively few skin wrinkles except = around=20 the neck. The skin is 16 mm thick at its thickest part and usually dark=20 gray-brown.  Like other rhinos, the Sumatran rhino has poor=20 vision. 

The Sumatran rhino is found in a wide variety of habitats, from = lowland rain=20 forests and swamps to mountain moss = forests. It has=20 been reported to prefer hilly areas near water, particularly steep upper = valleys=20 with thick undergrowth, as well as secondary forest where the upper = canopy is=20 broken and the smaller shrubs and vines on which it feeds are more = numerous. Salt licks = are an=20 important habitat requirement of the Sumatran rhino.

The Sumatran rhino is a browser. It = feeds on a=20 wide variety of vegetation including leaves, twigs, bark, fruit, smaller = shrubs,=20 canes and vines. Wild mangoes, bamboo and figs = are=20 especially favored. It is fond of salt and visits salt licks = regularly.=20 The Sumatran rhino feeds before dawn and after sunset and moves mostly = by night.=20 Much of the day is spent in wallows.  The Sumatran rhino makes = seasonal=20 movements, staying in hilly country when the lowlands are flooded during = the=20 rains, descending when the weather has become cool near the end of the = rains,=20 and returning to high ground by March. The Sumatran rhino can ascend and = descend=20 steep slopes with great agility. It swims well and has been known to = swim in the=20 sea.  Males are usually solitary, while females are found in=20 mother-offspring groups. 

The Sumatran rhino's range formerly extended from Assam (India) and Bangladesh = to Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, = Peninsular=20 Malaysia, = Sumatra=20 (Indonesia) = and Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, = and Malaysia). = Due to=20 overhunting and habitat loss, it has been reduced to small, scattered=20 populations. In recent times its largest concentrations have been in = Sumatra (Indonesia) = and the=20 Malay Peninsula (Malaysia). = In=20 addition, it is present on Borneo in Sabah = (Malaysia) = and in small=20 numbers in Myanmar=20 and Thailand, = and=20 possibly other locations.

Tidbits

*** The Sumatran rhino is one of the world's = rarest=20 mammals.

*** Although the Sumatran rhino avoids areas where the primary forest = has=20 been substantially modified by logging, it prefers secondary forest = where the=20 upper canopy has been broken and the smaller shrubs, canes and vines on = which it=20 feeds are more numerous. For this reason, certain types of logging may = actually=20 be beneficial by encouraging this secondary growth.

*** The Sumatran rhino tends to return to favorite spots such as mud = wallows=20 and salt = licks,=20 and, unfortunately, poachers use this habit to good advantage.

*** The Sumatran rhino is the smallest rhino species.

*** The horn of a rhino perches on a roughened area of the skull = (rather than=20 being "rooted" in the skull).

*** Accurate determination of the distribution of Sumatran rhinos in=20 Peninsular Malaysia=20 requires conducting field surveys to confirm reports from inhabitants of = the=20 area, because most people confuse rhino tracks with those of the Asian = (Malayan)=20 tapir, Tapirus indicus. Many people believe tapirs are = actually young=20 rhinos; the base Malayan name (badak) is the same for both = animals=20 (Flynn=20 & Abdullah 1984).

Status and Trends

IUCN=20 Status:

  • 1960's - 1994: Endangered=20
  • 1996 - 2004: Critically = Endangered (Criteria:= A1bcd, C2a) (IUCN=20 2004)

Countries Where the Sumatran Rhinoceros Is = Currently=20 Found:

2004: Occurs in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and = Vietnam. It = may be=20 extinct in Cambodia, India, and Laos. (IUCN=20 2004)

Population Estimates:

[Note: Figures given are for wild populations only.] =

  • WORLD=20
    • 1964: 170 (Gee=20 1964)=20
    • 1967: 100 - 170 (IUCN = 1967)=20
    • 1976: 89 - 158 (Humphrey & = Bain=20 1990)=20
    • 1982: Under 300 (Oryx = 1982b)=20
    • 1987: A few hundred (Burton & = Pearson=20 1987)=20
    • 1990: 500 - 900 (Cumming et = al.=20 1990)=20
    • 1995: 413 - 563 (Morales = et al.=20 1997)=20
    • 1996: 400 (Nowak=20 1999) =20
    • 1997: Around 300 (WCMC/WWF=20 1997)=20
    • 2001: About 300 (Intl. Rhino=20 Found. 2001) =20
    • 2005: About 300 (Intl. Rhino=20 Found. 2005) 
  • Borneo =
    • 1962: Possibly 10 (Borneo) (IUCN = 1967)=20
    • 1970: Fewer than 100 (Sabah) (Oryx = 1970b)=20
    • 1976: 10 - 20 (0 in Brunei and = Sarawak,=20 1-2 in Kalimantan, the rest in Sabah) (Harrisson=20 1976)=20
    • 1976: 6 (Sabah) (Humphrey & = Bain=20 1990)=20
    • 1986: 20 - 40 (Sabah) (Oryx = 1986f)=20
    • 1990: 75 - 100 (Sabah) (Cumming et = al.=20 1990)=20
    • 2005: About 50 (Intl. Rhino=20 Found. 2005) 
  • Cambodia=20
    • 1962: Possibly 10 (IUCN = 1967)=20
  • Indonesia=20
    • 1990: 400 - 800 (Cumming et = al.=20 1990)
  • Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia)=20
    • 1963: 47 (Oryx = 1969b)=20
    • 1965: 10 - 30 (Hislop = 1966)=20
    • 1969: 20 (Oryx = 1969b)=20
    • 1976: 11 - 23 (Humphrey & = Bain=20 1990)=20
    • 1983: 43 (Oryx = 1983b)=20
    • 1984: 50 - 75 (Flynn = &=20 Abdullah 1984)=20
    • 1999: 85 - 126 (Nowak=20 1999) =20
    • 2004: 59 - 78 (Khan et = al.=20 2004a)  
  • Malaysia=20
    • 1990: 200 (Cumming et = al.=20 1990)
  • Myanmar=20
    • 1947: 21 - 45 (Shebbeare=20 1953)=20
    • 1960: 35 - 46 (Curry-Lindahl=20 1972)=20
    • 1963: 20 - 30 (IUCN = 1967)=20
    • 1976: 17 - 24 (Humphrey & = Bain=20 1990)
  • Sumatra (Indonesia)=20
    • 1953: About 30 (Shebbeare=20 1953)=20
    • 1963: 150 (IUCN Red Data Book [not yet in general=20 circulation], quoted in Oryx = 1964b)=20
    • 1965: 60 (IUCN=20 1967)=20
    • 1970: 58 (Curry-Lindahl=20 1972)=20
    • 1976: 45 - 85 (Humphrey & = Bain=20 1990)=20
    • 1993: Less than 400 (Caughley = &=20 Gunn 1996) =20
    • 1997: 200 - 250 (Reilly et al. = 1997)=20
    • 1999: 233 - 341 (Nowak=20 1999) 
  • Thailand=20
    • 1962: 6 (IUCN=20 1967)=20
    • 1976: 10 - 20 (Humphrey & = Bain=20 1990)=20
    • 1999: Perhaps 10 (Nowak=20 1999) 

History of Distribution:

The detailed distribution of the Sumatran rhino has always been = difficult to=20 establish with certainty, probably because it often exists only in = small,=20 scattered populations in forested habitat. Up to the end of the 19th = century,=20 its range is thought to have generally extended from Assam (India) and Bangladesh = to Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, = Peninsular=20 Malaysia, = Sumatra=20 (Indonesia) = and Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, = and Malaysia). = From the=20 1960's through the present, its largest concentrations have been known = from=20 Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. In addition, it has been known to be = present on=20 Borneo in = Sabah (Malaysia) = and in small=20 numbers in Myanmar=20 and Thailand. It = was rediscovered in Sarawak (Malaysia) in = 1987=20 after having been thought to be extinct there for forty years. There has = been=20 continued speculation that it may still exist in Cambodia and = Laos.

Distribution=20 Map (5 Kb JPEG) (Huffman=20 2004)
Distribution=20 Map (35 Kb JPEG) (Intl. = Rhino=20 Found. 2004)

Threats and Reasons for Decline:

The two main reasons for the Sumatran rhino's decline have been = poaching for=20 virtually all of the parts of its body (especially the horn), which are = believed=20 by some peoples of the Orient to have medicinal purposes, and loss of = its=20 forested habitat due to conversion of the land to other uses.  = These=20 threats still threaten its future survival. (Caughley = & Gunn=20 1996)

Data on Biology and = Ecology

Size and Weight:

The Sumatran rhino weighs 600 - 950 kg (1,300 - 2,000 lb).  It = is 1 -=20 1.5 m (3 - 5') tall at the shoulder and the length of its body is 2 - = 3 m (6.5=20 - 9.5'). (Intl. Rhino=20 Found. 2005) 

Habitat:

The Sumatran rhino can live in a wide variety of habitats, from = lowland=20 rain forests and swamps to mountain moss = forests. It=20 has been reported to prefer hilly areas near water, particularly steep = upper=20 valleys with thick undergrowth, as well as secondary forest where the = upper=20 canopy is broken and the smaller shrubs and vines on which it feeds = are more=20 numerous. Salt=20 licks are an important habitat requirement of the Sumatran=20 rhino. (Nowak = 1999)

The Sumatran rhino lives in both the Sundaland=20 Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons.=20 Intl. 2005) as well as the Peninsular Malaysian Lowland = &=20 Montane Forests, Sumatran Montane Forests, and Sumatran-Nicobar = Islands=20 Lowland Forests Global 200 Ecoregions. (Olson = &=20 Dinerstein 1998, Olson = &=20 Dinerstein 1999)

Age to Maturity:

Female Sumatran rhinos become sexually mature at 6 to 7 years of = age, males=20 at 10 years (Intl. Rhino=20 Found. 2005).

Gestation Period:

For two baby Sumatran rhinos born in captivity at the Cincinnati = Zoo in=20 2001 and 2004, the gestation = periods=20 were 475 and 477 days (Khan et al. = 2004).

Birth Season:

The mating season is July - October (Humphrey & = Bain=20 1990).  In northern Sumatra, one study found that most = births=20 took place from October - May, the period of heaviest rainfall = (Nowak = 1999).=20

Birth Rate:

A single calf is born every 3 years (Intl. Rhino=20 Found. 2005).

Dispersal:

A Sumatran rhino calf leaves its mother after about 18 months, when = she=20 gives birth to her next young (Burnie = &=20 Wilson 2001).

Maximum Age:

A captive Sumatran rhino lived for 32 years and 8 months (Groves = & Kurt=20 1972).

Diet:

The Sumatran rhino is a browser, = similar to=20 the black=20 rhino. It feeds on a wide variety of vegetation including leaves, = twigs,=20 bark, fruit, smaller shrubs, canes and vines, with a majority of the = plant=20 species being characteristic of disturbed forest or forest edge in = some areas,=20 and of primary forest in other areas. Wild mangoes, bamboo and = figs are=20 especially favored. It knocks down saplings to feed on leaves and = shoots. It=20 is fond of salt and visits salt licks = regularly. (Groves = & Kurt=20 1972, Nowak=20 1999)

Behavior:

Senses: Rhinos have poor vision = (Burnie = &=20 Wilson 2001).

Activity Patterns: The Sumatran rhino = feeds=20 before dawn and after sunset and moves mostly by night. Much of the = day is=20 spent in wallows. (Groves = & Kurt=20 1972)

Wallowing: The Sumatran rhino, like = all=20 rhinos, hippos, and similar sparsely haired mammals, wallows in mud, = which=20 dries onto the skin. (Burnie = &=20 Wilson 2001) Wallowing is thought to provide protection = against=20 insects, and/or to provide cooling.  Wallows are often rainwater = ponds on=20 hilltops which are dug out by the rhinos themselves. They regularly = are=20 located in the center of a rhino's territory = and are=20 connected by a system of trails.  The surrounding area is cleared = of=20 vegetation to a distance of 10 - 35 m (33 - 115') and is used as a = resting=20 place. One study gave measurements of wallows as 2 - 4 m (6.6 - 13.1') = by 1 -=20 1.5 m (3.3 - 4.9'); another found them to have a diameter of up to 8 m = (26').=20 (Groves=20 & Kurt 1972)

Movement: The Sumatran rhino makes = seasonal=20 movements, staying in hilly country when the lowlands are flooded = during the=20 rains, descending when the weather has become cool near the end of the = rains,=20 and returning to high ground by March. The Sumatran rhino can ascend = and=20 descend steep slopes with great agility. It swims well and has been = known to=20 swim in the sea.   The Sumatran rhino is apparently regular = in its=20 movements, making well-defined trails to wallows and feeding sites and = changing the latter every 10 - 15 days. Males seem to be more nomadic = than=20 females. (Groves = & Kurt=20 1972)

Social Organization:

Males are usually solitary, while females are found in = mother-offspring=20 groups. The largest group found consisted of three animals. (Groves = & Kurt=20 1972) Females have relatively stable home = ranges, which=20 are very large and partially overlapping. In some areas, males are = apparently=20 nomadic and wander along stream beds, old game trails, or just = cross-country.=20 (Humphrey &=20 Bain 1990) A study in Gunung Leuser National Park in = northern=20 Sumatra (Indonesia) = found that=20 home = ranges of=20 adult males overlapped extensively, but that within them there = appeared to be=20 small, exclusive core areas or territories. = Female=20 home = ranges were=20 smaller than those of males and generally were separate from one = another=20 except in the vicinity of salt = licks. Females=20 were thought to be territorial= and to=20 avoid one another. (Nowak 1999 = )=20

Density and Range:

Density:

  • One study in Peninsular Malaysia = produced=20 estimated densities of 1 Sumatran rhino/40 sq km (1 rhino/15 sq mi) = in the=20 "high density" area of the Endau-Rompin region and of 1 Sumatran = rhino/80 -=20 120 sq km (1 rhino/31 - 46 sq mi) in the "low density" region = (Flynn = &=20 Abdullah 1984).=20
  • A density of 1 Sumatran rhino/10 sq km (1 rhino/3.8 sq mi) was = also=20 reported from Peninsular Malaysia = (Humphrey & = Bain=20 1990).=20
  • A study in Gunung Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, = found a=20 density of 13 - 14 Sumatran rhinos/sq km (34 - 36 rhinos/sq mi), = probably=20 considerably higher than in localities with fewer salt = licks=20 (Nowak=20 1999).

Home = range:

  • One report stated that the home = range of a=20 female Sumatran rhino is from 2 - 3.5 km (1.2 - 2.2 mi) in diameter. = Home = ranges=20 overlap widely and contain several regular feeding areas. (Groves = & Kurt=20 1972)  =20
  • A study in Gunung Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra (Indonesia) = found=20 the home = ranges of adult males averaged 30 sq km (11.6 sq mi) and = overlapped=20 extensively. Female home = ranges were=20 smaller. (Nowak=20 1999)  

Territory:

  • The females seem to live in territories, = each=20 centered on a wallow. The diameter of a territory is = some=20 500 - 700 m (1600 - 2300'). Each is surrounded by feeding grounds, = which are=20 visited by several animals. Within the territory is = a=20 dense system of tracks leading to and from the wallow, which is = usually=20 located on a mountain top or a catchment area of a small stream. = (Groves = & Kurt=20 1972)

References

Anon. = 1994a,=20 Arkive, = Burnie = & Wilson=20 2001, Burton &=20 Pearson 1987, Caughley = & Gunn=20 1996, Choudhury=20 1997, Cons.=20 Intl. 2005, Cumming=20 et al. 1990, Curry-Lindahl = 1972, Czech Web = Site, Dulaney = 2001, Fitter 1974, = Flynn = &=20 Abdullah 1984, Focus 2000, = Foose = & van=20 Strien 1997, Gee = 1964,=20 Groves = & Kurt=20 1972, Harrisson=20 1976, Hislop = 1966,=20 Huffman = 1999d, Huffman = 2004, Humphrey & = Bain=20 1990, Intl. = Rhino=20 Found. 2001, Intl. = Rhino=20 Found. 2002, Intl. = Rhino=20 Found. 2004, Intl. = Rhino=20 Found. 2005, IRF=20 1996, IUCN = 1967, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN=20 2003a, IUCN=20 2004, Khan et=20 al. 2004, Khan=20 et al. 2004a, La=20 Monte & Welch 1934, Macdonald = 1984, Morales et = al.=20 1997, Nowak = 1999,=20 Nowak & = Paradiso=20 1983, Olson = &=20 Dinerstein 1998, Olson = &=20 Dinerstein 1999, Oryx 1964b, = Oryx 1966d, = Oryx 1967c, Oryx 1969b, Oryx 1970b, = Oryx 1976d, = Oryx 1982b, = Oryx 1983b, = Oryx 1986f, = Oryx 1987b, = Rabinowitz = 1995, Reilly et = al.1997, Shebbeare = 1953, WCMC/WWF = 1997

Top = of=20 Page | Search = This=20 Site

Home | = Rarest Mammals | Species Index | Species Groups Index = | Country Index | Links

By: Paul Massicot; Last modified: March 3, 2006; =A9 = 1999 - 2006=20 Animal Info