East Sumatran rhinoceros
| Bornean rhinoceros | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Preserved Bornean Rhinoceros. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Rhinocerotidae |
| Genus: | Dicerorhinus |
| Species: | D. sumatrensis |
| Subspecies: | D. s. harrissoni |
| Trinomial name | |
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Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni (Groves, 1965) |
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The Bornean rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni), also known as Eastern Sumatran rhinoceros or Eastern hairy rhinoceros, is one of the three subspecies of Sumatran rhinoceros. The Bornean rhinoceros was declared extinct in the wild in April 2015, with only three individuals (one male, two females) left in captivity in Sabah. However, in March 2016, a young female rhino was captured in East Kalimantan, providing solid evidence of their continued existence.
The Bornean specimen was given Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni, named after the British polymath Tom Harrisson, who worked extensively with Bornean zoology and anthropology in the 1960s.
The Bornean rhinoceros is markedly smaller than the other two subspecies, making it the smallest of the extant rhinos. The weight of an adult individual ranges from 600–950 kg, the height from 1-1.5 meters and the bodylength from 2–3 m. The Bornean rhinoceros has the darkest skin of the Sumatran rhinos, and the fur of calves is much denser, but it becomes more scarce and darker as the animal matures. The head size is also relatively smaller. The rhinoceros has fringed ears and wrinkles around its eyes. Like the Black rhinoceros it has a prehensile lip. The difference to the Western Sumatran rhinoceros is mainly genetic.
Bornean rhinos used to range all over Borneo, but their range has been severely reduced. Previously, the entire known wild population lived in Sabah, mostly in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve. However, this population is now believed to be extinct. A recently captured specimen and video evidence from camera traps have confirmed their continued presence in East Kalimantan, now believed to hold the entire wild population. Reports of animals surviving in Sarawak are unconfirmed.
Today, the Bornean rhinoceros, like the Sumatran rhino, lives in hot, humid closed canopy rainforest. However, being a species which existed before the end of the , this likely wasn't the habitat they evolved in.
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Wikipedia