Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus explained

The Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus), also known as the Indo-Chinese Javan rhinoceros, is an extinct subspecies of the Javan rhinoceros that formerly lived in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The subspecific term annamiticus derives from the Annamite name of the Indochinese Mountains in Indochina, part of the historical distribution of the subspecies.

Former distribution

Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus once lived across South China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Taxonomy

Genetic analysis suggested the subspecies and the Indonesian Javan rhinoceros last shared a common ancestor between 300,000 and 2 million years ago.[1]

Conservation

In 2006, a single population, estimated at fewer than 12 remaining rhinos, lived in an area of seasonal tropical forest of Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. The last known individual of the population was shot by a poacher in 2010, and some conservation groups believe that the subspecies is extinct.[2]

Threats

As with many other species, the two main factors in the decline of the Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros populations has been loss of habitat combined with over-hunting. Poaching for horns, a problem that affects all rhino species. The horns have been a traded commodity for more than 2,000 years in China, where they are believed to have healing properties. Because the Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros's final range encompassed an area of human poverty, it is difficult to convince local people not to kill an animal that could be sold for an enormous sum of money.[3]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Genetic diversity, phylogeny and conservation of the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) . Conservation Genetics . 7 . 3 . June 2006 . 439–448 . Fernando . Prithiviraj . Gert Polet . Nazir Foead . Linda S. Ng . Jennifer Pastorini . Don J. Melnick . 10.1007/s10592-006-9139-4. 2006ConG....7..439F .
  2. News: Gersmann . Hanna . October 25, 2011 . Javan rhino driven to extinction in Vietnam, conservationists say . The Guardian . 25 October 2011.
  3. Biotropica . 39 . 3 . 202–303 . 2007 . The Impact of Hunting on the Mammalian Fauna of Tropical Asian Forests . Corlett . Richard T. . 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2007.00271.x. 2007Biotr..39..292C .