 Reference Base  The game animals of India, Burma, and Tibet, being a new ... |
|
Lydekker, R., 1907. The game animals of India, Burma, and Tibet, being a new and revised edition of 'The great and small game of India, Burma, and Tibet'. London, Rowland Ward, pp. i-xv, 1-409
|
|
|
|
| |
| Location: |
World |
| Subject: |
Taxonomy |
| Species: |
All Rhino Species |
 |
|
Rhinoceroses are huge, clumsily-built animals, with long bodies, large heads surmounted by the aforesaid horn or horns, short and thick legs, and sparsely-haired or naked skins of great thickness. In all the living species there are three toes to each foot, each encased in a small hoof-like nail at its termination the middle one being larger than either of the others, and symmetrical in itself. The long and low head presents a markedly concave profile, rising posteriorly into an abrupt ridge or crest, on which are situated the medium-sized and more or less tube-like ears, whose margins are fringed with bristly hairs. Although there is no trunk, the upper lip is frequently produced into a pointed and semi-prehensile tip; and the eyes, which are situated on the sides of the head. are small and pig-like. The cylindrical tail does not reach within some distance of the hocks; and the cows have a pair of teats, situated in the groin.
Very characteristic of rhinoceroses are their teeth, although the number of these varies considerably in the different species, the African members.of the group having none in the front of the jaws. In spite of showing minor specific modifications, the cheek-teeth are characterised by a distinct pattern of grinding surface; the essential elements in those of the upper jaw being a continuous vertical outer wall, from which proceed two transverse crests, separated by a deep open cleft, towards the inner margin of the crown. In some cases the plane of the grinding surface is nearly horizontal, while in others it is ridged; and the transverse crests and inner surface of the outer wall may be complicated by projections jutting into the intervening channel.
Although now confined to Africa and the warmer parts of Asia, rhinoceroses were formerly, distributed over the whole of the Old World (with the exception of Australasia), where they ranged as far north as Siberia, and were likewise represented by hornless species in North America. The living species may, therefore be regarded as survivors of an ancient type. The three species found in Asia are broadly distitiguished from their African allies by the possession of teeth in the front of the jaws, and by their skins being thrown into a number of loose folds, instead of forming a tightfitting jacket. Their extinct relatives appear to have been of the same general type.
|
|
|
File available
details
Original text on this topic: