ENV- 509 ASSIGNMENT

RHINOCEROS STATUS IN INDIA

Submitted By: Solanki Shraddha
M.Sc. Environmental Science (Sem-4)
University Roll No.-
Department Of Environment Science,
Government Science College,
K.K.Shashtri Campus, Khokhra,
Maninagar, Ahmedabad,
Gujrat

Submitted To:
Department Of Environmental Science,
School Of Science
Gujarat University,
Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
 Rhinoceros status in india

1. Introduction
 The Indian rhinoceros, or Indian rhino for short, also known as the greater one-
horned rhinoceros or great Indian rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros species native to
the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as
populations are fragmented and restricted to less than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq. mi).
Moreover, the extent and quality of the rhino's most important habitat,
the alluvial Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands and riverine forest, is considered to be
in decline due to human and livestock encroachment. As of August 2018, the global
population was estimated to comprise 3,588 individuals, including 2,939 individuals
in India and 649 in Nepal. Kaziranga National Park alone had an estimated population
of 2,048 rhinos in 2009. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam has the highest density
of Indian rhinos in the world with 84 individuals in an area of 38.80 km2 (14.98 sq.
mi) in 2009.[3]
 Indian rhinos once ranged throughout the entire stretch of the Indo-Gangetic Plain,
but excessive hunting and agricultural development reduced its range drastically to 11
sites in northern India and southern Nepal. In the early 1990s, between 1,870 and
1,895 Indian rhinos were estimated to have been alive.[4] Since then, numbers have
increased due to conservation measures taken by the government. However, poaching
remains a continuous threat, as more than 150 Indian rhinos were killed in Assam by
poachers between 2000 and 2006.[5]
 Nearly 85% of the global Indian rhinoceros population is concentrated in Assam,
where Kaziranga National Park contains 70% of rhino population.
 The Indian rhinoceros previously occupied an extensive range across
northern India and Nepal from Assam state in the east to the Indus River valley in the
west.
 Today this species is restricted to about 11 reserves in India and Nepal. Nearly 3,600
individuals of breeding age remain in the wild. Because this species reaches high
densities on dynamic nutrient-rich floodplains, rhinoceros populations recover quickly
when these habitats—and the rhinoceroses themselves—are protected from poaching.
In Kaziranga National Park in Assam State, Indian rhinoceroses numbered only 12
individuals about 1900, but today approximately 2,400 are estimated for this reserve.
 Similarly, the Chitwan population declined to 60–80 animals in the late 1960s after
the eradication of malaria in the Chitwan Valley, the conversion of natural habitat to
rice farming, and rampant poaching. By 2000 the population had climbed back to
more than 600 individuals, large enough in number to allow the transfer of some
individuals to other reserves in Nepal and India where they had once occurred but had
been extirpated. However, roughly 100 animals were killed by poachers in Royal
Chitwan National Park between 2000 and 2003, reducing the Indian rhinoceros
population of the reserve to fewer than 400 animals. By 2015, however, due to the
success of increased anti-poaching efforts, the population increased to more than 600
individuals.
2.Indian Rhino Classification

 Kingdom: Animalia
  Subkingdom: Bilateria
 Phylum: Chordata
 Subphylum: Vertebrata
 Class: Mammalia
 Subclass: Theria
 Order: Perissodactyla
 Family: Rhinocerotidae
 Genus: Rhinoceros Linnaeus
 Species: Rhinoceros unicornis Linnaeus (Indian One-horned Rhinoceros)

Scientific Name And Significance

S. Name of the great Indian rhinoceros: Rhinoceros unicornis

Rhinoceros unicornis is derived from the Greek words "rhino" and "ceros," which mean "nose"
and "horn," respectively, while "unicornis" is derived from the Latin words "uni," which means
"one," and "cornis," which means "horn."

3.Indian Rhino Habitat

Flood plains, which are places near rivers that flood during the rainy season, are home to many
Indian rhinos. These locations have rich soil that supports a lot of flora, which is ideal for the
grass-eating rhinoceros. Furthermore, these rhinos can be found in woodlands and marshes
along flood plains, as well as other grassland habitats.

Rhinos sometimes live in human-made fields or forests since they struggle to survive in a
section of the world where they are surrounded by humans. Except for a mother and her kid,
they are a solitary species that lives alone for the most part.

4.Characteristics of the Indian Rhinoceros

The Indian Rhino is grey-brown in colour and has one horn on its snout. This one horn is its
most distinguishing feature. Aside from its eyelashes, ear fringes and tail brush it is largely
hairless.
Its single horn is found in males and females although not in newborn calves. The horn is
made of keratin, similar to what’s found in human fingernails. The horns started to show after
six years. The length of the horn is about 25 cm but horns upto 36 cm have also been
measured. Further characteristics of the Indian Rhino is given in the table below:
Characteristics of the Indian Rhinoceros
 Body Length Males: 368–380 cm

Females: 310–340 cm

Shoulder Males: 170–186 cm

Height Females: 148–173 cm

Weight Males: 2,200 kg

Females: 1,600 kg

Latin Name Rhinoceros unicornis

Habitat Southern Nepal, Northern Uttar Pradesh, Northern Bihar, northern West Bengal, and in
the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam.

5.Behaviour of the Indian Rhino

Adult male rhinos are solitary in nature. Usually Indian rhinos form groups consisting
of females with calves that gather at wallows and grazing areas. They are active in
early morning, late afternoons and at night. Excellent swimmers, they can also run at
the speed of 55 km/h
Indian rhinos have few natural predators as their size and thick skin make them
difficult targets, but unguarded calves are particularly vulnerable to the Bengal
Tiger, Indian Leopard etc.
Indian rhinos are herbivores, primarily grazers whose diet consists mainly of grasses
but also eat leave, branches, shrubs and fruits
Females are largely solitary when they are without calves. Mothers will stay close to
their calves for up to four years after their birth.
6. Geographical Regions

As the name says, the Indian rhinoceros found in India. The natural habitat of rhinoceros in
India is located in northern India, close to the Himalayan mountain range. The Indian rhino can
also be found in southern Nepal, near the Himalayan border with India, along the Himalayan
foothills. This species used to have a considerably larger range, but as their numbers have
declined, they have become more confined, and can now only be found near the India-Nepal
border.
Rhinos are now present in regions of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam in India.
According to WWF-India data from 2012, Assam was home to more than 91 percent of Indian
rhinos. Rhinos are mostly found in Kaziranga national park in Assam, with a few in the Pobitora
wildlife sanctuary. In a 2015 rhino population in India survey by Kaziranga park, authorities
revealed there were 2,401 rhinos within the park. Kaziranga is home to more than 91 percent
of Assam's rhinos — and more than 80 percent of India's total.

7. Physical Features
A single black horn around 8 - 25 inches long and a grey-brown hide with skin
wrinkles that gives it an armour-plated look help to identify the bigger one-
horned rhino. The neck folds of male Indian rhinos grow enormously.

The top legs and shoulders of Indian rhinos are covered in wart-like lumps. The
Indian rhino's mouth resembles a cross between broad-lipped and hook-lipped
rhinos. It has a little prehensile lip, so they can use it to hold items, despite its
broadness. This allows them to grip grass and pull it up, as well as pluck leaves
from shrubs and trees.

The Indian Rhino has only one horn, which is composed entirely of keratin and
appears one year after birth. The solitary horn of an Indian rhinoceros measures
between 20 and 101 centimetres in length. They are around the same size as
white rhinoceroses.

The eyesight of Indian rhinos, like other rhino species, is poor. Their acute
hearing and sense of smell, on the other hand, compensate for this. The Indian
rhinoceros reaches a height of 6 feet and weighs between 4000 and 6000
pounds. The Indian rhinoceros has a lifespan of 35 to 45 years. These rhinos
are excellent swimmers and can run at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour for
short periods of time on land.
 Size
Height: 5.75 – 6.5 feet (1.75 – 2.0 m) tall at shoulder
Weight: 1,800 – 2,700 kg
Length: 10- 12.5 feet (3.0 – 3.8 m) length of head and body
 Horn Size
Greater one-horned rhinos have a single horn that ranges in length from 8 to 24
inches (20 to 61 cm).
8.Evolution
Ancestral rhinoceroses first diverged from other perissodactyls in the Early Eocene.
Mitochondrial DNA comparison suggests the ancestors of modern rhinos split from the ancestors
of Equidae around 50 million years ago.[12] The extant family, the Rhinocerotidae, first appeared
in the Late Eocene in Eurasia, and the ancestors of the extant rhino species dispersed from Asia
beginning in the Miocene.
Fossils of R. unicornis appear in the Middle Pleistocene. In the Pleistocene,
the genus Rhinoceros ranged throughout South and Southeast Asia, with specimens located
on Sri Lanka. Into the Holocene, some rhinoceros lived as far west as Gujarat and Pakistan until
as recently as 3,200 years ago.
The Indian and Javan rhinoceroses, the only members of the genus Rhinoceros, first appear in
the fossil record in Asia during the Early Pleistocene. The Indian rhinoceros is known from Early
Pleistocene localities in Java, South China, India and Pakistan.[15] Molecular estimates suggest
the species may have diverged much earlier, around 11.7 million years ago.[12][16] Although
belonging to the type genus, the Indian and Javan rhinoceroses are not believed to be closely
related to other rhino species. Different studies have hypothesised that they may be closely
related to the extinct Gaindatherium or Punjabitherium. A detailed cladistic analysis of the
Rhinocerotidae placed Rhinoceros and the extinct Punjabitherium in a clade with Dicerorhinus,
the Sumatran rhinoceros. Other studies have suggested the Sumatran rhinoceros is more closely
related to the two African species.[17] The Sumatran rhino may have diverged from the other
Asian rhinos as long as 15 million years ago.
9. Distribution and habitat

Indian rhinoceros in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Indian rhinos once ranged across the entire northern part of the Indian subcontinent, along
the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra River basins, from Pakistan to the Indian-
Myanmar border, including Bangladesh and the southern parts of Nepal and Bhutan. They
may have also occurred in Myanmar, southern China and Indochina. They inhabit
the alluvial grasslands of the Terai and the Brahmaputra basin.[4] As a result of habitat
destruction and climatic changes its range has gradually been reduced so that by the 19th
century, it only survived in the Terai grasslands of southern Nepal, northern Uttar Pradesh,
northern Bihar, northern West Bengal, and in the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam.[24]
The species was present in northern Bihar and Oudh at least until 1770 as indicated in maps
produced by Colonel Gentil.[25] On the former abundance of the species, Thomas C.
Jerdon wrote in 1867:[26]
This huge rhinoceros is found in the Terai at the foot of the Himalayas, from Bhutan to
Nepal. It is more common in the eastern portion of the Terai than the west, and is most
abundant in Assam and the Bhutan Dooars. I have heard from sportsmen of its occurrence as
far west as Rohilcund, but it is certainly rare there now, and indeed along the greater part of
the Nepal Terai; ... Jelpigoree, a small military station near the Teesta River, was a favourite
locality whence to hunt the Rhinoceros and it was from that station Captain Fortescue ... got
his skulls, which were ... the first that Mr. Blyth had seen of this species, ...
Today, its range has further shrunk to a few pockets in southern Nepal, northern West
Bengal, and the Brahmaputra Valley. Its habitat is surrounded by human-dominated
landscapes, so that in many areas, it occurs in cultivated areas, pastures, and secondary
forests. In the 1980s, Indian rhinos were frequently seen in the narrow plain area of Manas
River and Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.[24]
10. Populations

Population trend since 1910

In 2006, the total Indian rhinoceros population was estimated to comprise 2,577 individuals,
of which 2,165 lived in India:[27]

 23 individuals in Uttar Pradesh, including 21 in Dudhwa National Park and 2

in Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary
 135 individuals in West Bengal, including 108 in Jaldapara National Park and 27
in Gorumara National Park
 2,007 individuals in Assam, including 1,855 in Kaziranga National Park, 81 in Pobitora
Wildlife Sanctuary, 68 in Orang National Park and 3 in Manas National Park.
By 2014, the population in Assam increased to 2,544 Indian rhinos, an increase of 27% since
2006, although more than 150 individuals were killed by poachers during these years.[5] The
population in Kaziranga National Park was estimated at 2,048 individuals in 2009.[2] By
2009, the population in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary had increased to 84 individuals in an area
of 38.80 km2 (14.98 sq mi).[3]
In 2015, Nepal had 645 Indian rhinos living in Parsa National Park, Chitwan National
Park, Bardia National Park, Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve and respective buffer zones in
the Terai Arc Landscape as recorded in a survey conducted from 11 April to 2 May 2015.
The survey showed that the population of rhinos in Nepal from 2011 to 2015 increased 21%
or 111 individuals.[28]
The Indian rhino population, which once numbered as low as 100 individuals in the early
1900s, has increased to more than 3,700 in year 2021 as per The International Rhino
Foundation (IRF) signature 2021 report, State of the Rhino.[29]

11. Ecology and behaviour[

Indian rhinoceros at Bardia National Park
 Indian
rhinoceros in Manas National Park

Bulls are usually solitary. Groups consist of cows with calves, or of up to six subadults. Such
groups congregate at wallows and grazing areas. They are foremost active in early mornings,
late afternoons and at night, but rest during hot days.[14]
They bathe regularly. The folds in their skin trap water and hold it even when they exit wallows.[22]
They are excellent swimmers and can run at speeds of up to 55 km/h (34 mph) for short periods.
They have excellent senses of hearing and smell, but relatively poor eyesight. Over 10
distinct vocalisations have been recorded. Males have home ranges of around 2 to 8 km2 (0.77 to
3.09 sq mi) that overlap each other. Dominant males tolerate other males passing through their
territories except when they are in mating season, when dangerous fights break out.[30] Indian
rhinos have few natural enemies, except for tigers, which sometimes kill unguarded calves, but
adult rhinos are less vulnerable due to their size. Mynahs and egrets both eat invertebrates from
the rhino's skin and around its feet. Tabanus flies, a type of horse-fly, are known to bite rhinos.
The rhinos are also vulnerable to diseases spread by parasites such as leeches, ticks,
and nematodes. Anthrax and the blood-disease sepsis are known to occur.[14] In March 2017, a
group of four tigers consisting of an adult male, tigress and two cubs killed a 20-year-old male
Indian rhinoceros in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.[31]
Diet
Indian rhinos are grazers. Their diet consists almost entirely of grasses, but they also eat
leaves, branches of shrubs and trees, fruits, and submerged and floating aquatic plants. They
feed in the mornings and evenings. They use their semi-prehensile lips to grasp grass stems,
bend the stem down, bite off the top, and then eat the grass. They tackle very tall grasses or
saplings by walking over the plant, with legs on both sides and using the weight of their
bodies to push the end of the plant down to the level of the mouth. Mothers also use this
technique to make food edible for their calves. They drink for a minute or two at a time, often
imbibing water filled with rhinoceros urine

Social life
Indian rhinoceros showing its sharp lower incisor teeth used for fighting
Indian rhinos form a variety of social groupings. Bulls are generally solitary, except for
mating and fighting. Cows are largely solitary when they are without calves. Mothers will
stay close to their calves for up to four years after their birth, sometimes allowing an older
calf to continue to accompany her once a newborn calf arrives. Subadult bulls and cows form
consistent groupings, as well. Groups of two or three young bulls often form on the edge of
the home ranges of dominant bulls, presumably for protection in numbers. Young cows are
slightly less social than the bulls. Indian rhinos also form short-term groupings, particularly at
forest wallows during the monsoon season and in grasslands during March and April. Groups
of up to 10 rhinos, typically a dominant male with females and calves, gather in wallows.[18]
Indian rhinos make a wide variety of vocalisations. At least 10 distinct vocalisations have
been identified: snorting, honking, bleating, roaring, squeak-panting, moo-grunting,
shrieking, groaning, rumbling and humphing. In addition to noises, the Indian rhino
uses olfactory communication. Adult bulls urinate backwards, as far as 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft)
behind them, often in response to being disturbed by observers. Like all rhinos, the Indian
rhinoceros often defecates near other large dung piles. The Indian rhino has pedal scent
glands which are used to mark their presence at these rhino latrines. Bulls have been observed
walking with their heads to the ground as if sniffing, presumably following the scent of
cows.[18]
In aggregations, Indian rhinos are often friendly. They will often greet each other by waving
or bobbing their heads, mounting flanks, nuzzling noses, or licking. Indian rhinos will
playfully spar, run around, and play with twigs in their mouths. Adult bulls are the primary
instigators in fights. Fights between dominant bulls are the most common cause of rhino
mortality, and bulls are also very aggressive toward cows during courtship. Bulls chase cows
over long distances and even attack them face-to-face. Indian rhinos use their horns for
fighting, albeit less frequently than African rhinos that largely use the incisors of the lower
jaw to inflict wounds.
Reproduction

Cow with calf

Captive bulls breed at five years of age, but wild bulls attain dominance much later when
they are larger. In one five-year field study, only one Indian rhino estimated to be younger
than 15 years mated successfully. Captive cows breed as young as four years of age, but in
the wild, they usually start breeding only when six years old, which likely indicates they need
to be large enough to avoid being killed by aggressive bulls. Their gestation period is around
15.7 months, and birth interval ranges from 34 to 51 months.[18]
In captivity, four Indian rhinos are known to have lived over 40 years, the oldest living to be
47.