It's September 22nd and that means its World Rhino Day! We take this day (and every other day!) to celebrate our favourite rhino, Bella! Rhinos are wonderful creatures with big personalities. They are instantly recognisable by their thick grey skin, horn on their snout and in Bella's case her beautiful pink dress! At the start of the 20th century there were over 500,000 rhinos but today there onlly around 27,000 rhinos in the wild, making rhinos one of the most critically endangered species around.
Here are some fun facts about rhinos
- There are 5 species of rhino: Two African – black and white rhinos – and three Asian – greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos. Black, Sumatran and Javan rhinos are critically endangered with fewer than 70 Javan and 100 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild.
- Our armoured giants: Even though their diet consists of mainly grass and leaves, rhinos are huge! White rhinos are the biggest specie and can weigh up to 3500kg and Sumatran rhinos being the smallest but still weighing up to 600kg!
- They are called bulls and cows: Male rhinos are reffered to as bulls whilst female rhinos are called cows, with baby rhinos reffered to as calves. Together a group of rhinos are called a 'crash'.
- Their horns are made from keratin: Their horns are made up of the same stuff that forms the basis of our hair and nails, keratin! Javan rhinos only have one horn, just like Bella! Whilst all other species have two horns which grow throughout their life.
- They love the mud! They love a mud bath, not only for the great beauty benefits but mainly to keep themselves cool, prevent insect bites and to get rid of any parasites.
If you would like to learn more about Rhinos and what you can do to help them, visit World Rhino Day | WWF for more information.
Don't forget to pick up a shimmery Bella Shimmer Dot set from our shop here: The Lionheart Tales Shimmer Dots Frame Craft Kit - Bella the Rhino so you can create your very own rhino!
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