Scientific name:
Phinoceros unicornes

Natural spread:
Nepal, north-east-India

the Asian tank-rhinoceroses, among whom also the Java-rhinoceros is, possesses only a horn, that doesn't gain the size on top of everything, as we are it by the other rhinoceroses accustomed. In contrast to the African rhinoceroses, the tank-rhinoceroses possess two edge-teeth, that rub against a tooth-plate in the upper jaw and are very sharp, in the lower jaw. The tank-rhinoceroses got its name on the basis of its very massive working skin, that like an umgehängter, heavy tank on the animals lies. This at itself is not very thick skin through big shoulder, breast, apportioned stomach and tail-pleats in big "plates", whose tank-good character are still reinforced by rivet-good horn-backs.

With the Indian tank-rhinoceros, the shoulder-pleat proceeds in the bow over the shoulder blade from. If tank-rhinoceroses are not the biggest rhinoceroses either, so however they gain the magnificent size of 110-200 cm with a weight of 1500 to 2000 kg after all. As far as on the ear and tail-tops, the tank-rhinoceroses are hairless.

Habitat and nutrition Once, the tank-rhinoceros lived in whole North-India of cashmere until Assam. Today, approximately 1500 copies only live on Assam, Bengal and Nepal in protectorates. As day, and twilight-animals live in the bamboo it there, and elephant-grass-jungles of the flat - and hill-country. Here, they find its food amply, that in the most important thing from young grass as well as reed, bamboo and elephant-grass-instincts but also swamp-herbs, water-hyacinths and green branches exists. When picking up the food, the finger-nicely extended waiter-lip is extraordinarily helpful for the animals.

Way of life Tank-rhinoceroses are very strong tied at the water. they often wallow in the water or mud for hours and swim and dive marked. They wallows and bath-places always are visited by several rhinoceroses together. they and the there leading changes serve the universality and are not defended. From these main-changes, smaller additional-changes lead to the individual pasture and roosts. These are defended severely together with the changes leading to them.

The rhinoceros-changes, that often lead through the high elephant-grass, are further-used over generations and often form formal tunnel-routes. Tank-rhinoceroses show a showy marking-behavior. So, the "public" bath and Suhlplätze are marked by all animals at common excrement-places. These places exert a such force on the animals that no rhinoceros can pass them by without putting down for his part there manure. Even a tank-rhinoceros situated at the escape will stop shortly normally and will drop at least an excrement-bale. Just like the community-places, the rhinoceroses mark also its individual-districts, however in this case of course each animal only its own precinct and the accesses.

Locomotion The normal walk of the tank-rhinoceros is a leisurely trot while the animal grazes its food. To the faster place-change, the animals serve themselves a leaps and very elegantly working trot. At the escape or at attacks, they reach up to 40 km in the gallop per hour. they then race virtually blindly with deep-lowered head along its changes and pull densely in the case of an attack at the opponent the head and are capable to tear deep wounds with its very sharp edge-teeth. Normally, rhinoceroses avoid foreign animals and only rarely challenge it on a fight. They usually flee from elephants, however occasionally also feints can start, that almost always then turn shortly before the opponent, however. Adult bulls more frequently fight against each other, usually around the property of a residential-territory. Older males therefore are not rare covered from scars, that obviously come from from such fights.

Reproduction The reproductive-behavior of the tank-rhinoceroses, also like the remaining representatives of the family, appears the human observer very roughly since it always is accompanied by severely delivered fight-games. Approximately every 46-48 days, occasionally also almost monthly, a not pregnant cow becomes brünstig. Outer indications of it are a frequent urination, with what while the Urinspritzens's the vagina of the female "flashes." Still is a slime of the vagina and, to observe a swelling the outer genital-region. The rhinoceros-cow discharges rhythmic Pfeiftöne to it. The heat even lasts approximately 24 hours.

The bull immediately reacts to the female condition and drives the cow over longer time, with what longer breaks are taken again and again at intervals. Before the combination, the female begins the fight-games with vehement attacks against the male. In the flank of the bull pushes with the horn on this occasion repeatedly. These attacks are interrupted through frontal pushing and pushing as well as through constantly sprinkled in drift of the male. Multifarious snorts and Schnauflaute as well as squeak and whistles are to now be heard. Only after several hours, the first mating-attempt occurs, that usually fails, however, since the penis of the male is such attempts erigiert fully only after several. During a heat, several successful combinations are carried out, from what every approximately one hour lasts. Numerous ejaculations occur during a deck-act, in the extreme-case up to over 50 per combination.

After carried out, successful combination, the animals care no more about each other. From the 10. Pregnancy-month begins to swell the teats of the female, and also an increase of the Leibesumfanges is to now be registered. After 462-489 days of Tragzeit, it usually becomes see one - and run-proficient, horn-loose young born. The actual exit-phase of the birth lasts only approximately 15 minutes on that occasion. Young tank-rhinoceroses weigh on average 65 kg in the birth. Daily, the young sucks approximately 20-25 l milk and increases 2-3 kg on that occasion on the day. So, it can double its birth-weight with 5-6 weeks. With approximately 14 days, also the interest of the young of solid food begins, is suckled 11/2-2 years further, however. In the first year, the horn is adequate for approximately 1 cm in the month, later, this increase-installment still decreases. Females become with 3 years, males with 7-9 years sexually mature. In human-care, a tank-rhinoceros gained 47 years until now.

Continuance Tank-rhinoceroses belong at all to the gefährdetsten types of animal today since they are still poached because of its horn, although (rhinoceroses) the rhinoceros-hunt in India is prohibited already for a long time and also protectorates were set up for these imposing animals. After all, the continuance could, that had melted away over 100 animals at beginning of the century on something, until increases again on approximately the tenfold quantity today. Nevertheless, the Indian tank-rhinoceros must still be regarded as endangered. Tank-rhinoceroses are protected through the Washingtoner Artenschutzübereinkommen.

In southeast-Asia, the Sumatra-rhinoceros very rarely occurs as well.