I would like to take a break from my regular post on nanotechnology, nanomaterials and related things, to address an issue that has caused me much misery and is that a couple of days ago (March 20), the news was known that the last male northern white rhino of the planet had passed away. That is why I will try to give some relevant information about how and why he died, I will also explain a little more about this incredible animal.

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He died in Kenya at age 45 because of his age, Sudan as he was known that majestic animal was going through serious health problems, his body was very deteriorated due to the great longevity he had, so his caregivers did not they have more choice than to practice euthanasia and end their suffering.

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Fortunately, two females of this species are still alive, with which, according to my research, the conservation and reproduction of the species were maximized.

However, the road will not be easy at all.

Anatomy.

Its appearance is similar to that of other rhinoceroses, which is why one of the most reliable ways to determine if it is indeed a soft rhinoceros is in the shape of its mouth since they have a much wider shape than of the other species.

White rhinoceroses have two horns on their head, with the front being much larger than the other.

In addition to the horns, it is easy to realize that your head is large, that is why they have a small bulge around your neck that provides them stability.

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These rhinos have recorded speeds of 40 km / h although they can reach up to 3,000 to 8,000 pounds and measure from 11 to 14 feet in length. It should be noted that these animals do not have good vision and that they tend to guide their movements based on smells and sounds.

Evolution.

According to experts, the white rhinoceros began to separate from other species almost 7 million years ago. This information was obtained from the investigation of different fossils. Through these investigations, it was further determined that previously these animals had longer elongated heads and that it was with the appearance of the lump in their neck that their anatomy changed.

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It should be noted that there are currently two known subspecies of white rhinoceroses. Unfortunately, today, only 7 of them remain in the world, 6 females and 1 male. Efforts to mate them have failed even though the male is not too old to do so. Efforts continue to use DNA information and evolution to try to find a way to save them.

Behavior, habitat, and distribution.

In general, the behavior of these animals is usually very controlled, they are docile by nature. However, the males are a bit more aggressive even when they can live in a herd perfectly, this is mainly due to the lack of specimens and some faults in their habitat.

The habitat of these animals is currently very small since all the known specimens are in captivity in controlled reserves. However, previously these animals were located in Africa, distributed especially in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

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Even when white rhinos are "docile" as we said before, their behavior could become aggressive in the absence of food, and they are usually very suspicious of those who are capable of great attacks before smells or unknown or disturbing sounds.

Feeding.

In uncontrolled environments, ie wildlife, these individuals usually spend most of their time searching for food. They have the habit of eating early in the day, so they can rest as long as possible. It should be noted that their main food is usually grass although they can easily consume any type of fruit or edible herbs.

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These animals have an almost insatiable appetite, being able to consume more than 100 pounds of vegetation per day, however and as a curious fact they usually drink water only twice a day.

Reproduction.

Even when females are ready to mate when they reach between 6 and 7 years, males, on the other hand, take until 10-12 years to begin their reproduction. Mating occurs several times over the course of several days. Sometimes the pair will stay together for several weeks.
It is usually the male who decides how much time he will spend with the female trying to reproduce.

After the female becomes pregnant, the gestation period can lengthen from 16 to 18 months. White rhinoceroses protect their young for a couple of years. Also with the right conditions, these rhinoceroses can live up to 50 years in the wild although they also usually present physical problems that generally shorten their life expectancy as happened with Sudan.

Decimated species.

Because these animals are large they usually do not encounter predators that try to kill them. Even their offspring are rarely in danger, due to the protection provided by adults.

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One of the biggest risks that these animals can face comes from the males when they want to mate with the females since they know that if the female is taking care of her young they will be less likely to give in to the mating.

However we humans are the biggest predators of the white rhinoceros and the main reason why their species is getting closer and closer to extinction. These animals have been hunted and harassed because of the high value of their horns.

The population of white rhinos in the north was almost devastated in Uganda, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Chad due to the large number of hunters that operated in a stealthy way in the 1970s and 1980s, all of this brought about by the above mentioned high demand and the high value of their horns in countries like China.

In 2008, the northern white rhinoceros was considered extinct in the wild.

However, years later, 4 fertile rhinoceroses, two males and two females, were transported from Dvur Kralove zoo in the Czech Republic to the Ol Pejeta reserve in Kenya with the hope that conditions similar to those of their natural habitat, wanting to achieve with this that the habitat contributes to the fomentation of the mating and early reproduction of the same. But even when they were observed mating, there was no luck. With the death of Sudan, the last available male now efforts to prevent the extinction of this animal will be directed to methods of artificial fertilization of females that are still available.

This is undoubtedly another of the most humiliating and intolerable cases, where we see how people are once again capable of destroying an entire species in order to fill their pockets.

Goodbye majestic friend and thanks for surviving so much.

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CC BY-SA 4.0

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References.

• Wikipedia
• NYTimes
• NationalGeographic
• Panda.org
• WorldWildLife
• Rhinos.org

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