19th August 2016
Are white rhinoceros really white?
Africa is home to two species of rhinoceros – the hook-lipped or black rhinoceros and square-lipped or white rhinoceros.
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2nd May 2016
How the rhino got his skin, Rudyard Kipling explains
The rhino looks like it is wearing a coat of armour. Rudyard Kipling, in his story ‘How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin’, tells an interesting tale about how a Parsee called Pestonjee Bomonjee baked a magical cake and a rhinoceros ate it on an uninhabited Island on the Red Sea. When that happened, the rhinoceros had a smooth, even and figure-hugging skin.
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19th April 2016
Longest gestation periods in the animal kingdom
The elephant has the longest gestation period at 22 months. This is longer than that of the blue whale, which is one year. Some species of dolphins have a gestation period of 17 months and sperm whales carry their young for up to 19 months. Rhinos have a gestation period of about 450 days. Owing to such long gestation, the population of these species are not quickly replenished.
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8th April 2016
Can rhinos outrun humans?
Rhinos run very fast for short distances. They can run up to 48 kilometres per hour, enough to outrun the world’s fastest human being in a matter of seconds.
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