Ceratotherium mauritanicum (SciiFii)

The western white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium mauritanicum) is a species of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium) that originally lived in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria during the Late Pliocene to the earliest Holocene and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced to the species' former range to help boost biodiversity. And adult western white rhinoceros stands 140–180 centimeters (55–71 inches) high at the shoulder and is 3–3.75 meters (9.8–12.3 feet) in length. An adult typically weighs from 800 to 1,400 kilograms (1,760 to 3,090 lbs), however unusually large male specimens have been reported at up to 2,896 kilograms (6,385 lbs). The cows are smaller than the bulls. Two horns on the skull are made of keratin with the larger front horn typically 50 centimeters (20 inches) long, exceptionally up to 140 centimeters (55 inches). The western white rhinoceros lives in open savannah landscapes with sufficient water and vegetation, a biome that had vanished from the Maghreb during the Early Holocene, although it was recreated for the western white rhinoceroses to live in. Its primary food source is dominated by grass, although it is known to occasionally feed on shrubs and twigs. It drinks twice a day if water is available, but if conditions are dry it can live four or five days without water. It spends about half of the day eating, one-third resting, and the rest of the day doing various other things. Western white rhinos, like other species of rhinoceros, love wallowing in mud holes to cool down. Western white rhinos produce sounds which include a panting contact call, grunts and snorts during courtship, squeals of distress, and deep bellows or growls when threatened. Threat displays (in males mostly) include wiping its horn on the ground and a head-low posture with ears back, combined with snarl threats and shrieking if attacked. The vocalizations of the two species differ between each other, and the panting contact calls between individual western white rhinos in each subpopulation can vary as well. The differences in these calls aid the western white rhinos in identifying each other and communicating over long distances. The western white rhinoceros is quick and agile and can run 50 km/h (31 mph). Western white rhinos live in crashes or herds of up to 14 animals (usually mostly female). Sub-adult bulls will congregate, often in association with an adult cow. Most adult bulls are solitary. Dominant bulls mark their territory with excrement and urine. The dung is laid in well defined piles. It may have 20 to 30 of these piles to alert passing western white rhinos that it is his territory. Another way of marking their territory is wiping their horns on bushes or the ground and scraping with their feet before urine spraying. They do this around ten times an hour while patrolling territory. The same ritual as urine marking except without spraying is also commonly used. The territorial male will scrape-mark every 30 m (98 ft) or so around its territory boundary. Subordinate males do not mark territory. The most serious fights break out over mating rights with a female. Female territory overlaps extensively, and they do not defend it. Females reach sexual maturity at 6–7 years of age while males reach sexual maturity between 10 and 12 years of age. Courtship is often a difficult affair. The bull stays beyond the point where the cow acts aggressively and will give out a call when approaching her. The bull chases and or blocks the way of the cow while squealing or wailing loudly if the cow tries to leave his territory. When ready to mate the cow curls her tail and gets into a stiff stance during the half-hour copulation. Breeding pairs stay together between 5–20 days before they part their separate ways. The gestation period of a western white rhino is 16 months. A single calf is born and usually weighs between 40 and 65 kg (88 and 143 lb). Calves are unsteady for their first two to three days of life. When threatened, the baby will run in front of the mother, which is very protective of her calf and will fight for it vigorously. Weaning starts at two months, but the calf may continue suckling for over 12 months. The birth interval for the western white rhino is between two and three years. Before giving birth, the mother will chase off her current calf. Western white rhinos can live to be up to 40–50 years old. The conservation status of the western white rhinoceros is Vulnerable due to habitat loss and poaching, however, thanks to the conservationists, the western white rhinoceros is a protected species.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii