Sumatran Rhinoceros

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The Sumatran Rhinoceros is the smallest extant rhinoceros species, as well as the one with the most fur, which allows it to survive at very high altitudes in Borneo and Sumatra. Typically a mature Sumatran rhino stands about 130 cm high at the shoulder and weighs around 700 kg, though the largest individuals have been known to weigh as much as 1,000 kilograms.

Like the African species, it has two horns. Formerly, the Sumatran rhino extended in a continuous distribution as far north as Myanmar and Laos, but poaching has made it extinct in Thailand and Vietnam, whilst it has not been seen in Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar for many years now. Only about 200 remain today, almost all in Sundaland. It is critically endangered due to destruction of its rainforest habitat. Most remaining habitat is in inaccessible mountainous areas of Indonesia, where the government has shown no inclination to discourage clearing of rhino habitat for the benefit of the timber industry.

Poaching of Sumatran rhino, though less of a problem than with African rhino (at least in terms of number of animals killed), is particularly insidious because dealers who stock Sumatran rhino horn (whose price is unknown but is probably at least US$200 per gram) know that once the species becomes extinct, the price of its horn will increase exponentially. Hence, dealers wish to hasten the extinction of the species.

Attempts to replenish their numbers by breeding them in captivity have been met with difficulty. One of the few recent success stories is a female calf born on July 30, 2004 in the Cincinnati Zoo [link].

There are three subspecies:

Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni (living on Borneo)
Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis
Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotis (extinct, possibly surviving in Myanmar)

The Sumatran Rhinoceros is the last surviving species in the same group as the extinct woolly rhinoceros.

External links & References

ARKive - [images and movies of the Sumatran rhinocerous (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)]
[Information on the Sumatran Rhino] from the [International Rhino Foundation]
[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dicerorhinus sumatrensis] (including subspecies)
[Watch a baby Sumatran rhino live on a webcam from Cincinnati Zoo]
[Obituary] of "Rapunzel", the Sumatran rhino at the Bronx Zoo (died December, 2005)
[Sumatran rhino tracks spark hopes] BBC
[Sumatran Rhino Breeding Program]
[Anatomy]
[Genetics]
[Reproductive tracts]
[IRF]
[Extinction]
[Spark of hope]
[Captivity]
[Action Plan]

Khan, M.K.M. 1986. Asian Rhinoceros Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Asian Rhino Specialist Group Gland, Switzerland.
[WWF Heart of Borneo conservation initiative] - Information about the Heart of Borneo - 220,000 km² of upland montane tropical rainforest, where endangered species such as the orang-utan, Sumatran rhinoceros and pygmy elephant cling for survival.
Vidyadaran MK, Rozyati TH, Richard XM, Zainal-Zahari Z, Abdullah MT. 1992. The cervical vertebrae of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis). Malayan Nature Journal 46:53-63.
Zainal-Zahari Z, Abdullah MT, Suri MSM. 1990. The husbandry and veterinary care of captive Sumatran rhinoceros at Zoo Melaka. Malayan Nature Journal 44: 1-19.
Zainal-Zahari Z, Vidyadran MK, Abdullah MT, Rozyati TH, Peng BT. 1990. Observation on the skeleton of the Sumatran rhinoceros. Jurnal Veterinar Malaysia 2(1): 59-61.
Abdullah MT, Zainal-Zahari Z, Shukor MD, Norliah B, Zainun AB. 1987. Notes on the birth of a Sumatran rhinoceros at Malacca Zoo. J. Wildlife and Parks 6:39-42.
Flynn RW, Abdullah MT. 1983. Distribution and number of Sumatran rhinoceros in the Endau-Rompin region of Peninsular Malaysia. Malayan Nature Journal 36: 219-247.
Zainal-Zahari Z, Abdullah MT, and Mohd Samsuddin MS. 1990. Precopulatory behaviour in Sumatran rhinoceros at Zoo Melaka. Proceeding of the Third Conference of Southeast Asia Zoos, Bogor.
Zainuddin ZZ, Abdullah MT, Suri MSM, and Marid-Hassan ARK. 1990. Milk composition of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Proceedings of the 2nd Congress of Veterinary Association of Malaysia. pp 121-122.
Richard XM, Zainuddin ZZ, Vidyadran MK, and Abdullah MT. 1990. Some aspects on the behaviour of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Proceedings of the 2nd Congress of Veterinary Association of Malaysia. pp 118-120
Zainuddin ZZ, Sheikh-Omar AR, and Abdullah MT. 1989. Severe necrotizing enteritis in a Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). First Congress of the Veterinary Association of Malaysia.
Abdullah MT, Zainuddin ZZ, and Suri MSM. 1989. A review of the Sumatran rhinoceros conservation programme and assessment of management alternatives for the future. In Proceedings of the International Conference on National Parks and Protected areas. Kuala Lumpur, pp 191-205.
Abdullah MT and Abidin ZZ. 1986. Konservasi hidupan liar di Malaysia. Seminar Zoologi Kebangsaan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Abdullah MT. 1977. Hutan kita akan pupus menjelang 1990. Utusan Malaysia 25 Oktober 1997.
Abdullah MT. 1977. Maka runtuhlah satu lagi keagungan kita. Utusan Malaysia. 24 Oktober 1977.

References

Asian Rhino Specialist Group (1996). [Dicerorhinus sumatrensis]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Critically Endangered (CR A1bcd, C2a v2.3)

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