2024 - Great One-Horned Rhinoceros | Mint Souvenir Token

A coloured souvenir token was issued on 'Endangered Animals of India - Great One-Horned Rhinoceros,' featuring the endangered species found in India from Kolkata Mint.

The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), commonly known as the greater one-horned rhinoceros or Indian rhino, stands as a formidable rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent. This remarkable creature ranks as the second-largest extant rhinoceros species, with adult males tipping the scales at 2.2 tonnes and adult females at 1.6 tonnes. Characterized by thick, grey-brown skin adorned with pinkish skin folds, they feature a single horn on their snout that can reach a maximum length of 57.2 cm (22.5 in). Wart-like bumps cover their upper legs and shoulders, and they are predominantly hairless, except for eyelashes, ear fringes, and a tail brush.

Displaying a largely solitary nature, Indian rhinoceroses tend to associate only during the breeding season and when rearing calves. As dedicated grazers, their diet consists primarily of grass, though it may also include twigs, leaves, branches, shrubs, flowers, fruits, and aquatic plants. Female Indian rhinos give birth to a single calf after a gestation period of 15.7 months, with a subsequent birth interval of 34 to 51 months. In captivity, these rhinos can live up to 47 years but face susceptibility to diseases such as anthrax and those caused by parasites like leeches, ticks, and nematodes.

Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to fragmented populations restricted to less than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi), the Indian rhinoceros faces conservation challenges. As of August 2018, the global population was estimated at 3,588 individuals. Once widespread across the Indo-Gangetic Plain, excessive hunting and agricultural development drastically reduced their range to 11 sites in northern India and southern Nepal. In the early 1990s, an estimated 1,870 to 1,895 Indian rhinos remained. Conservation efforts by the government have led to a population increase, but poaching remains an ongoing threat.

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