THE
BLACK
RHINOCEROS
~An endangered species~
By Prepared for:
4th Hour Language Arts
January 2, 2001
The black rhinoceros or rhinos are a very unique animal of Africa. They are important for the balance of nature. They are a large stocky animal. Their size is 5 to 6 feet tall at the shoulder and 10 to 12 feet long. Their weight can range in from 1,000 to 3,000 pounds. Rhinos are naturally gray in color but will often take on the color of the local soil. The horn of a rhino is not a true horn. It is not attached to the skull. It grows from the skin and is made up of keratin fibers, the same materials found in hair and finger nails. Black rhinos have a prehensile lip that is used much like a finger to select and pick the leaves and twigs they prefer to eat. Their habitat is in the bushy plains, rugged hills, and scrublands in isolated areas of Central and South Africa. Rhinos are heavy browsers that hinder woody plants from dominating their habitat. This is important because it allows grasses to grow, which provide food for many other animals on the grassy plains. Black rhinos travel alone except while breeding or raising offspring. Juveniles remain with the mother until they are completely weaned, just before a new a baby is born.
Young rhinos are occasionally prey for many items for large carnivores such as lions and hyenas. People of some cultures believe that rhino horns contain medicinal properties. This is most likely not true but is one of the primary reasons rhinos are poached.
Flying Tigers is the name of a mercenary group of American pilots that helped defend China and the Burma Road from the bombing of the Japanese during World War II. The name of their planes was Tomahawks, but the Chinese called them Fei Hu for the sharks teeth painted on their planes. Flying Tigers were known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force. The Flying Tigers did not see combat until December 1941 when the Japanese started bombing China.
The Greek word for gymno is “naked” or “bare”, and the word for gyps means “vulture”. The California condor is a bare-headed vulture.
This book is about a boy named Ricky, he is a Mexican who lives in Southern Arizona. He only lives with his dad because his mother was killed in a car accident. Ricky and his dad have a bi-plane that they fly to relieve stress and forget about the death of Ricky’s mom.
In 1782, the bald eagle was elected as the national symbol of the United States of America, yet by the early 1960’s, it was nearly extinct in the Continental United States. A combination of many dangers, with the main danger being the pesticide DDT, the bald eagle was on the verge of extinction. Yet, through conservation measure applied by the United States government the bald eagle cam back from the brink and was taken off of the endangered species list in 2007.
White tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are one of the most common species of mammals seen in North America, the most common of large animals actually. The last official count of deer in the USA and Canada was done in 1982, at which time 15000000 were found at an average of 3 deer in every square kilometer. The deer are very much native and were hunted even by Native Americans.
The whitetail deer, or scientifically known as Odocoileus virginianus, is one of the most known animals in America. They are found just about everywhere in the United States and can also be found in Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Because they are found all over, deer hunting has become a major sport and in the U.S. People hunt them for food and also for the challenge of getting the "big buck."
Lions fur coats are a highly prized possession by poachers, and are worth a lot. Over the last 200 years, over 90% of the world’s lion population has either been shot or killed as result of humans. Lions are also a very popular attraction for zoos and many lions live in captivity.
In Cold Mountain and "A Poem for the Blue Heron", tone is established in a multitude of ways. These two pieces of literature describe the characteristics and actions of a blue heron, both aiming for the same goal. However, Charles Frazier and Mary Oliver approach their slightly differing tones employing organization, metaphoric language, and diction.
Compare and contrast rhino horns, antlers, and giraffe horns in terms of contributions by the epidermis and dermis. (4 points)
What it looks like: Siberian tiger is the largest and most rare of all members of the cat family. This cat is 8-10 feet long, excluding their 25-38 inch rattling tail. This species of tiger weighs 400-700 pounds. Like all members of the tiger family, males are significantly larger than females.
What do you think about when you hear the word Africa? How about the word safari? Most people tend to think about elephants or giraffes. In this paper I will tell you many important facts about elephants: how they live, their appearance, and many other interesting facts about them. There are two different kinds of elephants; the African elephant and the Asian elephant (also known as the Indian elephant). The African elephant is the larger of the two.
The West african black rhinoceros are an example of endangerment and extinction. These animals were declared extinct in 2011. This has happened because of poaching and major demand for rhino horns. The Pyrenean ibex is another example. This wild goat became extinct in 2000. This population was thinned by hunting. In 2009, scientists were able to clone a female using DNA they had earlier gathered from its skin, but due to lung defects, the pyrenean ibex died shortly after
Both sexes have two or four short, blunt, skin-covered horns. The coat has chestnut brown blotches against a brown background, markings that blend with the many different trees. As a giraffe ages, its color grows a darker brown. Each animal has a unique set of markings. Giraffes have keen sense of smell, seeing, and fantastic eyesight. A giraffe’s lifespan is up to twenty-six years in the wild and thirty-six years in captivity. Giraffes live on dry savannas and open woodland. They range south in the Sahara and in large numbers only in East Africa. Giraffes are herbivores, they eat mainly on leaves from acacia, mimosa, and wild apricot trees.
The African elephant’s range has declined by over 50 percent since 1979 – and their populations are breaking up
Recently over the years elephant populations have drastically declined. This is due to human encroachment on their habit and poaching. Demand for ivory has increased the number of poaching kills in Africa. In 1988 congress passed the elephant African Elephant Conservation Act which placed a ban against illegal ivory imports and authorizes government funding for elephant field conservation projects. Although some African countries have initiated African elephant conservation programs, many do not have the sufficient resources to properly manage, conserve and protect their elephant’s populations. Unfortunately, we are possibly undergoing “the greatest percentage loss of elephants in history” (Ruggiero). Without the proper conservation of elephant survival we will see a drastic shift in the environment.