By the time Hamlet is over, almost everyone is dead. One by one, the whole cast is done in. Horatio, Hamlet’s pal, is left to assess the damages and wonder how he escaped Mr. Shakespeare’s lethal attentions. We suppose someone had to be left to explain how matters got out of hand.
Rhinos find this aspect of Tragedy interesting. Our worldwide numbers are thinning, so We pay special attention.
Fortunately for Us, Rhinos are stout-hearted critters; We march onward while the marching is good.
The happy Sumatran Rhino shows Us a “today” place in the March of Time. Precarious perhaps, but present. Tight squeezes are no novelty for the Rhino Family. “Close” is often good enough; it’s had to be.
The X up top marks Nature’s creation of RhinoHeart, back when. The dotted line shows how We, as a Family, slipped through the cracks from one age to another. Many Rhino gangs did not successfully duck and dodge, but a few have made it, which is all it takes. Rhinos are slippery. And lucky, knock wood.
Compared to other lines and critters, We are a model of Natural Success. Many more groups are gone than have present-day representatives.
Time and History are comical; Rhinos may survive to have the Last Laugh. We’ll see.
Here you see a Javan Rhino, moving hastily though the brush. This branch of the family is at an existential crossroads, and things do not look promising.
Closely related to the Indian One-horn Rhino branch, the remnants of our line live in the tropical jungles of Java. Our range used to be all over Southeast Asia, but no longer. We have interesting skin, pebbly but not as knobby as our Indian cousins. How did We get to Java?, you might ask. In times past, the ocean level was lower, so We could stroll. Rhinos are accomplished strollers. (see 4/11/15)
Many female Javan Rhinos don’t grow a horn at all. Nature might give a convincing explanation of why that is, but not We.
For obvious reasons, Javan Rhinos are extremely leery of contact with the public.
It has come to our attention that Your Inner Rhino has not been very clear about what parts of the greater Rhino Family are presently represented on the planet. Seems obvious as a topic, but it does not hold our attention to any great extent; We are all Rhinos, We have RhinoHeart, and that’s what counts.
That Said, here you go! Here We have a Sumatran Rhino, the hairiest of the Gang. We live in Southeast Asia, mostly solitary and living in dense jungle. We can weigh a ton, but are the smallest Rhino species. We are surprisingly agile, and are known for a sharp sense of humor. Two horns, but modest.
We are the most ancient lineage of the RFamily living today. We are few in numbers, due to hunting and habitat pressures.
The reason this all seems a bit beside the point is that each Rhino, Sumatran or not, is an individual critter, doing our best to thrive. Seems more important than a label, at least to Us.
“Facts of Life in the Wild”, a post of 11-10-14, addresses some of these issues as well.
We thought you might like to know more about Organizations that are helping Us on a Range of Pressing Topics.
For an overview, you can’t beat The Rhino Resource Center: (@rhinoresourcecenter.com). Many organizations are listed, plus informative articles and fun stuff as well. From this site you can learn more about:
The International Rhino Foundation (@rhinos.org)
SOS Rhino (@sosrhino.com)
Save the Rhino (@savetherhino.org)
The World Wildlife Fund (@wwf.panda.org)
We’d be grateful for your involvement, ‘cause We can use the assistance. These and other organized efforts are doubtless Essential- for Us Rhinos, at any rate.
Some of Us would easily teeter this standard family car, even if the family were in it, and the trunk was full of bricks. So this post answers that question.
And no, it doesn’t matter what color the car is.
Given how big We are, it is no surprise that We have a lot of Skin. All over Us, bunches of skin. We family members from Central Asia, as big as any, have particularly exotic packaging, as shown here.
Parts of Us are bumply, other parts are smooth. The part you can’t see is the tender parts in the great folds of our hides. Not all the skin is the same thickness or texture. It is, however, just skin, however Sumptuous to behold. If asked, please remind people; it is not armor, whatever they may have heard.
We are closely related to the Rhinos of Java, who are more ancient cousins than We are. However, though the folding pattern of them is like the picture, the bumply parts are not. No way to explain it, any more than you could explain the shape of your eyebrows. Just the way Nature likes it, for the time being. We get bumples or not, roll of the dice.
We don’t pretend to take credit for how astounding We are; it is not something any of Us planned. All our design features come from Nature, which is plenty good enough for Us.
What is missing from this picture? You’re right: a Dentist! That is because in the Wild there is no medical attention on call. We use all natural meds in the Wild. Or hope that Time will mend Us. We have to be very careful with the teeth We get; We only get one set.
We have mighty teeth, usually about 26 or 27 or so, depending on the family in question. We do our nipping with our lips, so the main job of our teeth is mashing up vegetables in one form or another, all very fibrous. Hooray for oral hygiene, that’s what We say.
Here with Us are three friendly Oxpeckers, backing Us up and keeping Us up to date. They offer many opinions, but then again, they have no teeth at all.
We see that you like your water all pure and crystalline and chilly. Not We Rhinos. We prefer it luke warm, and filled with bits of stuff- plant, animal, mineral, whatever’s around. It tastes a lot better, at least We thing so, more hefty. More like your idea of tea: Water with Personality. And the great part is it is never the same from slurp to slurp. Always a surprise. Life in the Wild has a lot to recommend it, that much is certain.
Your Inner Rhino 