Are some of you not familiar with rhinos? It seems impossible. Yes, the rhino is one of the rare animals whose population has decreased a lot in the world.
Even so, you as an Indonesian citizen can certainly still be a little proud. Not because the rhino population is decreasing, of course. But proud because a small part of the population of this rare animal is in Indonesia.
The one-horned rhinoceros or commonly known as the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is one of the world's rhino populations that can be found in Indonesia.
In fact, in Indonesia this one-horned rhino has a special place as its main habitat. Ujung Kulon National Park is the main habitat for the one-horned rhino in Indonesia.
The Javan Rhinoceros One-horned
Javan rhinoceros is a close relative of the Indian rhino species. Because of its smaller size, you may call it the sister of the Indian rhino.
When viewed from the physical, this Javan rhinoceros has a body length of about 3 to 3.2 meters, a height of no more than 2 meters, only about 1.2 to 1.7 meters.
However, the weight of the Javan rhino will make you a little surprised because with this size it can weigh up to 900 to 2500 kilos.
From a distance, the surface of the Javan rhino is very rough and can't possibly have fur. However, in fact, this Javan rhino has fur on its body surface, like the Sumatran rhino, but with shorter hairs.
This rhino only has one horn or horn, and that is not the size of the horns of other rhino species which are quite large. This rhino horn is the smallest. Its size is only about 20 to 30 cm.
Characteristics of the Javan Rhinorhinoceros
The Javan Rhinorhinoceros is one of the shyest rhino species. For some reason, this rhino rarely makes a sound, let alone shows himself openly in the wild.
There is an anecdote that states the reason why this Javan rhinoceros is so shy is inferior because it only has one horn, while others have 2 horns.
In addition, the horns of the Javan rhino are never used for fighting, as is the function of horns in other rhino species. Javan rhino horn is only used to dig and remove mud from the puddles it makes for bathing and pulling the plants it will eat. To fight, the Javan rhinoceros prefers to use its teeth.
Like all other rhino species, the Javan rhino also has poor eyesight. This Javan rhino will not be too clear to see other creatures that are nearby, the Javan rhino only relies on its hearing and smell instincts to recognize various threats that might attack it.
To mark their territory, the Javan rhinoceros does the same thing as other rhino species, namely by piling dung and urine in its territory.
The Javan rhinoceros also sometimes makes scratches on the ground and plants with its toenails to mark its territory.
Habitat Not Only in Java
Although the name of this animal is the Javan rhinoceros, its population is not only on the island of Java. This one-horned rhino is found throughout the archipelago.
In addition to Indonesia, the population of this rare animal is also spread throughout the Southeast Asia region, the Indian region, and the Chinese region in mainland China.
The current population of one-horned rhinoceros is critical. The population of the one-horned rhino in the wild is very small. Ironically, even in the zoo there is no population of this species of Javan rhinoceros.
In Ujung Kulon National Park, the population of this one-horned rhino is only around 40-50 individuals. Thus, the one-horned rhino is one of the five species of rhinoceros that are among the rarest on earth.