Hi Steemit family!

Today I bring you one of the most popular species when it comes to top animals in danger of extinction, their size is very small compared to their older cousin the white rhinoceros, I'm talking about the Sumatran rhinoceros. Come with me to know the main characteristics of this wonderful animal.

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It is the smallest of the 5 species that are still alive, weighs between 600 and 800 kilograms, nothing compared to the white rhinoceros that can weigh up to 3 net tons, its scientific name is Dicerorhinus sumatrensis is the species closest to the extinct woolly rhinoceros, has powerful incisor teeth, and its fur can go from red to brown tones.

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Another important feature is that it has two horns very different from the morphology of Asian rhinos, its average height is 1.50 in males and females 1 meter high, showing a clear sexual dimorphism between males and females.

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Formerly the Sumatran rhinos were found in large areas of land between Burma, Indochina, Borneo, Sumatra, East India, but due to the presence of the English Empire and the rise of hunting as a sport, as well as the destruction of their habitat caused their population to decline almost to the brink of extinction, are now in areas protected by a joint agreement between the governments of Malaysia and Indonesia.

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Their diet is based on a diet of vegetables ranging from tree branches or tender shoots to a wide variety of fruits. It has some difficulty with vision which has made it a very aggressive animal, something uncommon in herbivorous species.

They spend much of the day consuming grasses that give them the energy necessary to maintain the nutritional demands satisfied, one of the curiosities is that if they feel stressed they usually eat without chewing, they do not consume many vegetable protein but if high content of fibers, to supply the necessities in protein they achieve the ingestion of salt rocks, they can go up to 1 week without drinking water.

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The sexual maturity reached in this specimen reach 10 years in the case of males, while females reach maturity before 7 years, the sexual act is a bit confusing because the female is very demanding with male specimens, when the female rejects a specimen the male can become so violent that it can kill the female.

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The female in state of gestation lasts approximately until 17 months until giving birth, the babies are very attached to the mother remaining at all time with them until a lapse of 2 years. It usually has a maximum of 2 offspring.

All rhinoceros species are very territorial so it is no exception the Sumatran rhinoceros despite its small size is as territorial as other specimens, also tend to be very solitary.

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Their natural predator is the Asian tiger, and the foreign threats to the natural are the poaching, being their horns the main motivation of the hunters to put an end to their life, again it is recurrent the subject of the Chinese and Korean traditional medicine that for centuries use the horns to treat great number of diseases.

Currently it is estimated that about 100 specimens live in freedom, the rest live in reserves that are highly guarded with military personnel.