Didermoceros sumatrensis
The Sumatran rhino is known as the "hairy" rhino because of it unique reddish-brown coat (which appears wet in our picture). The only Asian rhino with two horns, it is a descendant of the extinct woolly rhino and having remained unchanged for the last 2 million years it is the oldest rhino species. Its voice is reminiscent of the song of the humpback whale. It can be found in the Malay Peninsula and in the islands of Sumatra and Borneo (Indonesia). However, fewer than 300 individuals remain alive in the wild today, which makes the Sumatran Rhino a critically endangered species. Like its relative, the Indian Rhino, it is hunted for its horns, which some East Asian cultures believe they have healing powers.
This picture was taken at the Cincinnati zoo, in July 2002.
Family Rhinocerotidae
Order Perissodactyla
Subclass Eutheria
Class Mammalia
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
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