16 Let’s Talk Trash! MAY / JUNE 2019
©2019 The Keenan Group, Inc
Rhinoceros “Rino” What animal family are they most kin to?
The rhino horn is made of keratin, the same protein as your fingernails
HORSE
TAPIR
You might think the rhino seems like a relative of hippos or elephants , but is instead more closely related to horses! When you think about tapirs as a sort of link between horses and rhinos, the evolutionary story becomes a little easier to believe.
Horses only have one hoof now, but they once had three toes with large nails on them –just like rhinos. Scientists believe the common ancestor arose about 55 million years ago in what is now Asia, and then quickly spread throughout the continents. In the order of Perissodactyla, there were once many different creatures, some of which resembled rhinos, equus (the group containing horses, donkeys and zebras) and tapirs, but these are the only three families to survive to modern times. http://mentalfloss.com/article/30874/see-resemblance-surprising-family-ties-animal-kingdom Pe·ris·so·dac·ty·la an order of mammals that comprises the odd-toed ungulates. (hoofed toed animals)
Save the Rhino Day is May 1st Q: What animal has roamed the earth for over a million years, and has
been hunted to near extinction? A: You guessed it, the Rhinoceros.
Did you know? The horn of the Rhinoceros is composed of the same material as your fingernail.
Save the Rhino Day encourages us to be aware of, and support efforts to save the Rhinoceros from extinction. The Rhinoceros is a fascinating creature. Native to Africa, this leftover from the age of Dinosaurs was hunted to near extinction. Hunters on safaris killed Rhinos just for sport. Poachers hunted them for their horn. The horn has been used as medicine, and for making knife handles, carved statues, and other objects. Animal rights groups have helped to save this animal from extinction, and their numbers have rebounded somewhat.
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