Borneo Rhino

[Fossa dude]

I have seen many websites and herd some news on the Borneo Rhino. So I wandered if the rhino was its own species or if it is just a Sumatran Rhino.
Can I have some help?

 

[bongorob]

A subspecies of the Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrisoni described by Colin Groves in 1965

http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/ref_files/1178933361.pdf

 

[Chlidonias]

there are some photos by various forum members of an individual at Lok Kawi in Borneo in our gallery: Lok Kawi Wildlife Park Gallery

 

[Fossa dude]

Thank you bongorob and Chlidonias for those great links but I have a couple more questions.

1- Is there a sumatran rhino and a borneo rhino on the island or is there just one species or subspecies of rhino on the island.

2- Has anybody been to Borneo? If yes than what does it look like.

3- Are there any bushmeat markets in borneo?

4- Does anyone check for oil palm in food?

Thank you.

 

[Chlidonias]

1) there are two surviving subspecies of Sumatran rhino, one on Sumatra and the other on Borneo (formerly the species as a whole was more widespread). The Bornean subspecies D.s.harrisoni is the only type of rhino on Borneo; D.s.sumatrensis is the only type of rhino on Sumatra.

2) several forum members have been to Borneo (including myself for two months last year). It was once almost coast-to-coast forest, now there are oil-palm plantations that cover hundreds of acres of country at a time. There is still a lot of forest in parts of the island but it is getting less and less as time passes. While it is an amazing place to visit, it is also very very depressing.

3) probably. I saw much poaching and evidence of poaching in Indonesia, but not so much up-front in Malaysian Borneo. It definitely is occurring though.

4) palm oil is in almost every kind of processed food in southeast Asia. Sadly in Western countries it is difficult to tell if it is contained within products because it is quite often labelled as "vegetable oil"

 

[Pygathrix]

1) there are two surviving subspecies of Sumatran rhino, one on Sumatra and the other on Borneo (formerly the species as a whole was more widespread). The Bornean subspecies D.s.harrisoni is the only type of rhino on Borneo; D.s.sumatrensis is the only type of rhino on Sumatra.

There are also very small numbers of Sumatran rhino in peninsular Malaysia; according to Arkive they are D. s. sumatrensis. A third subsp, lasiotis, was found in India and Burma but is thought to be extinct.

 

[Chlidonias]

yes you are quite right...I forgot about the Malaysian peninsula ones. They are (or were), for example, found in the Taman Negara national park (where I have also been, but not in the bit where the rhinos are).

Potentially there could still be rhinos in Burma (Myanmar) as well, as it is so little-known to outsiders

 

[Fossa dude]

So would that change the rhino subspecies if it is on Malaysian peninsula.

For vegetable oil you look at the saturated fat. Since coconut, palm, and palm kernel oil are the only oils with saturated fat. I also look for sodium palmate or vitamin A palmate........
The list goes on.

 

[gerenuk]

IVF attempt on a Bornean Rhino.

The Canadian Press: Malaysia plans in vitro fertilization of aging female rhino's eggs to save endangered species

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

So would that change the rhino subspecies if it is on Malaysian peninsula.

For vegetable oil you look at the saturated fat. Since coconut, palm, and palm kernel oil are the only oils with saturated fat. I also look for sodium palmate or vitamin A palmate........
The list goes on.

Nope, they are part of the nominal race of Sumatran rhinos.

 

[Fossa dude]

O ok thanxs