Category Animal World

The wild water buffalo, also called Asian buffalo and Asiatic buffalo, is found in India, Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. Around 3400 Asian buffalo remain in the world, of which 3100 live in India – mostly in the state of Assam.

Wild water buffalo are the largest members of the bovine tribe of cattle which include the bison, yak and the African buffalo. The wild water buffalo is almost as big as the gaur. It grows to a length of about 7 to 10 feet and weighs about 600 to 1200 kg. This species of buffalo has large sweeping horns and is larger and heavier than the domestic water buffalo. It is most likely the progenitor or ancestor of the domestic species.

Wild water buffalo are herbivorous grazers and will eat crops, grass, leaves, herbs and grass. They are found in tropical and subtropical forests and spend most of the day submerged in muddy water to keep cool. The mud, which covers their bodies, serves as a barrier to keep pests and insects away. Since they are almost always near or in water, they also eat aquatic vegetation growing in marshy areas, along the banks of rivers and even growing underwater!

The population of these buffalo is declining and they are listed as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN. They face threats from hunting – both from humans and tigers, habitat loss, and diseases such as rinder-pest – which they get from domestic cattle that share their grazing land.

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A charging rhino is one of the most impressive sights in nature. With its formidable thick-set horns, armour-like skin and tank- like body, the rhino looks like a top-class predator. In reality it is a shy, reclusive herbivore that prefers to graze in peace and wallow in muddy puddles.

The word rhinoceros is a combination of the Greek words ‘rhino’ (for nose) and ‘ceros’ (for horn).There are 5 species of rhino left in the world, of which 2 are found in Africa and 3 in southern Asia. Of the 3 Asian species, the great Indian horned rhino is the biggest. It is about 2 metres high at the shoulder and 3.5 metres long. An adult male weighs between 1,800 and 2,700 kg.

The rhino eats fruits, leaves and grass. It prefers to graze near water and is active during the early hours of the day. In the afternoons it will avoid the midday heat by lying in muddy water. The rhino is an excellent swimmer but has relatively poor eyesight. This sometimes leads it to charge at objects irrespective of actual threat. That is why it is always best to steer clear of rhinos. It moves at a top speed of 55 km/h and despite its bulk is nimble and can jump or change direction quickly.

Did you know that rhinos are supposed to be attracted to fires? If it sees a fire it will charge towards it and stamp it out with its feet! How’s that for an animal firefighter?

Found exclusively in India and Nepal, the Indian rhino’s saga is one of the few environmental success stories of the world. From a meagre 75 in 1905, their numbers have grown to 3500 in 2022. Today, the Indian rhino is the most populous of the three Asian species of rhino found on Earth. This majestic and priceless animal has hardly any predators except for humans who hunt it for its horns. Over the years, countless rhinos across the world have been mercilessly hacked to death for their horns, which are used in traditional medicines and as a mindless display of wealth. They are currently listed under ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List.

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The Asian elephant is the largest land animal in Asia and among the heaviest land animals in the world, out-weighed only by African bush elephants. Adult male Asian elephants can weigh between 2400 kg and 5000 kg. They are found in 13 countries in Asia including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and China.

They inhabit grasslands, tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous and dry thorn forests and secondary forests and scrublands.

They are highly intelligent, form strong family bonds and are capable of feeling emotions such as grief as well as compassion. Their trunks function as a nose, upper lip, a limb for pushing and picking up things, as well as like a straw to pull up water for grooming and to drink. And did you know that the elephant’s trunk is more sensitive than a bloodhound’s nose and can smell water from several miles away? They also use the trunk to cuddle their young and display affection to one another. Most amazingly, it is also used as a snorkel while crossing deep water bodies!

Even scientists are waking up to what an extraordinary tool an elephant’s trunk is. Biomechanical engineers are studying the elephant’s trunk to find out how its complex operation can help them improve structural designs of many devices.

These extraordinary creatures are threatened by ivory poachers and loss of habitat, as well as elephant-human conflict. They are listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List.

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Did you know that a group of rhinos is called a ‘crash’? A good collective noun for a creature only second to the elephant in size and weight. At 5.9 feet and 2,500 kg the white Rhino tops the list of heavy-weights in the animal world.

In all there are 5 distinct species of rhino, of which the white rhino, which is found in Africa, is the largest and heaviest. The white rhino’s name comes from a misrepresentation of the Afrikaans word ‘wijd’ which means ‘wide’ (and not ‘white’) and refers to the animal’s mouth.

White rhinos, also known as the square-lipped rhino, sport square, hairless upper lips.

The white rhino has two genetically different subspecies – the northern white rhino and the southern white rhino. Sadly, due to the immense rate of poaching of this species, as of March 2018, there are only two northern white rhinos left in the world, both of which are female. They live in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya and are protected by armed guards day and night. Their near extinction is due to many years of brutal poaching for rhino horn for use in traditional medicine and as a status symbol in countries like Vietnam and China.

This rarest of rare animal is found in grassland and savannah habitat. They eat grass and drink twice a day when water is available. However, the rhino can live for 4 or 5 days without water if necessary. Rhinos love squelching about in mud holes. This keeps their bodies cool in the brutal African heat and also keeps pests and bugs at bay. The white rhinoceros is considered a keystone species in the savanna grasslands. It is listed as ‘Critically Endangered possibly extinct in the Wild’ in the IUCN Red List.

Picture Credit : Google