Dorothy Adkins, age 11, of Kopperston, W. Va. for her question:
What kind of animal is the rhinoceros?
We have all seen pictures of Mr. Rhino charging the movie camera man out in the African sunlight. No travel of this area seems complete without this hair raising sequence, And it gives us a true picture of Mr. Rhino's nature and disposition. No one knows why, but he hates the smell of man. True, he will charge like an armored truck towards anything that threatens him. But the smell of human beings brings out the worst in him.
The common rhino of east, Africa is a dark colored animal called the Black Rhinoceros. He stands five feet at shoulder level and weighs a ton and a half. He has two sharp horns on his massive snout, one behind the others The front horn, usually the longer, may be two or three feet long. Mr. Black Rhino is a foul tempered fellow always ready to start a fight.
His cousin, the White Rhino, is more gentle. His skin is dull gray and looks white only by moonlight. This fellow stands over six feet tall and weighs four tons. He loves mud baths and avoids fights. However, he can put up a good fight and; he has two horns with which to attack. His home is in Central Africa.
India has a one‑horned rhino who lives in the. grassy wilds. This fellows skin is arranged in folds that look like iron plates put together with rivets. Of all the rhinos, he has the worst temper. Sometimes he throws a tantrum for no reason at all, grunting and tearing at the. brush. The Java rhino resembles his Indian cousin.
The smallest of the rhinos lives in Sumatra, Malay and Borneo. This little fellow weighs, no more than a ton and stands only 18 inches tall. Buts, like his relatives, he is always ready for a scrap.
You might expect the fierce rhino to be a meat‑eater. But this. is not so. He is a strict vegetarian and feeds on grasses and shoots. Feeding time is early morning, evening and into the night. The rhino loves water, mud baths and dust bathe. He is, never far from a waterhole and usually takes a dip around midnight.
The White Rhino is often found in small family soups. Other rhino cousins usually travel alone. Every Mother Rhino, however, is very devoted to her calf. The youngster travels, with her for several years. Junior Black Rhino trails after his mother. Young White Rhino travels ahead of her, gently prodded from behind.
The Indian Rhino gets angry enough to attack the mighty elephant. The Black Rhino has more sense, though he will charge at a lion. The charge begins with stomping and snorting. He sniffs the air, for his smell is good and his eyes are poor. Then on he comes with head raised. As he near the target, the head is lowered and the horns brought into position. Then is, the time to dodge. For Mr. Rhino finds it hard to turn at full speed.