 Reference Base  The mammals of the southern African subregion, new edition |
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World |
| Subject: |
Morphology |
| Species: |
White Rhino |
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Thick skin. The skin may reach a thickness of about 20 mm on the shoulders. The thick dermis covered with a thin laser of epidermis barely 1 mm thick. Scattered over the surface of the skin are sweat glands which, when the individual is under stress, exude droplets of sweat. Underlying the skin there is a thick layer of fat which, on the abdomen, may reach a thickness of 50 mm. Bigalke, Steyn, de Vos & de Waard (1950) recorded that the outer horny layer of the skin is moulted at about one and a half to four months, revealing a new paler skin. A further moult takes place at about 10 months.
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