Today is World Rhino Day!

As they write on daysoftheyear (dot) com, "Almost every child in the world should be able to immediately recognize this magnificent beast, with its heavy grey skin and prominent horn (or horns!) upon its snout. The rhinoceros is a much-loved critter!

However, it is deeply endangered in the wild and is quickly on the road to extinction if something isn’t done to help this animal in its plight. This is why World Rhino Day was established to help raise awareness and protect what remains of these magnificent creatures."

There are five species of Rhinos in the world today, the one I find most amazing is the Sumatran Rhino, which my grandsons and I included in book four of our Life on the Goldilocks Planet series - Red-Lipped Batfish, Giant Purple Squirrels, Kakapo, & More! which you will find at this link. In our book we share some fun-facts about these amazing rhinos - 

• Sumatran Rhinos are the smallest rhino in the world
• They are related to the extinct Wooly Rhino
• They are the most endangered rhino in the wild - there may be as few as 12, but no more than 80 of them on the Islands of Sumatra and Borneo - and are guarded to keep them safe from poachers.

While I especially love Sumatran Rhinos, all Rhinos are amazing - did you know . . .

• Their closest living relative are Zebrsa, Tapirs, and horses!
• A group of rhinos is called a "crash" - seems fitting!
• In 1470 a large skull was unearthed in Austria and people thought it must have come from a dragon - and a sculpture made a dragon statue using the skull as the model for the head. Hundreds of years later scientists discovered it was actually from an extinct wooly rhino!

You will find more fun rhino facts at this link.

Today on World Rhino Day gather the ones you love and take time to learn about this amazing animal then consider ways to help their survival - such as "adopting" a rhino through the World Wildlife Fund at this link.