The population is now confined to around 40 – 50 animals in the Ujung Kulon National Park on the western tip of the island of Java. The Indonesian Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus), once lived on Java and Sumatra. There are 3 distinct subspecies, of which only 2 are presumed to be extant: However, they sometimes congregate at salt-licks and wallow sites. With the exception of mothers and calves and mating pairs, the Javan rhino is a very solitary individual. A single calf is born to the female every 4 – 5 years, the young are suckled for up to 2 years. The reproduction rate of the Javan rhino is relatively low. Javan Rhinoceros Reproductionįemale Javan rhinos reach maturity at 3 – 4 years whereas males reach maturity much later – around 6 years of age. The Javan rhinoceros grabs its food with its prehensile upper lip and knocks down saplings to reach the leaves, shoots and fruit. The Javan rhinos food sources include shoots, twigs, young foliage and fallen fruit. Adult Javan rhinos variously weigh between 900 – 1,400 kilograms or 1,360 – 2,000 kilograms. The Javan rhinos body length reaches up to 3.1 – 3.2 metres (10 – 10.5 feet), including its head and a height of 1.5 – 1.7 metres tall. The upper lip is pointed and prehensile and can be used to grasp food and bring it to the mouth. The Javan rhino is very similar in appearance to the closely-related Indian rhinoceros, however, it is slightly smaller, with a much smaller head and the skin folds less apparent than in the Indian rhino. The Javan rhinos skin is hairless and has a number of loose folds giving the appearance of being ‘armour plated’ just like the Indian rhino. The Javan rhinoceros is a dusky grey color and has a single horn, about 25 centimetres long, although it is noted that only the males have visible horns – the females have very short horns or no horns. The Javan rhinos habitats are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests such as dense rainforests with mud wallows and plenty of water, showing a preference for low-lying sites. It can be found in Western Indonesia and Eastern Indochina. The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), is also known as the ‘Lesser One-horned Rhino’.
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