The rhinoceros, like the elephant, is a large and vegetarian animal. The hyracodontidae, a now extinct family of rhinoceros, was known as the running rhino. It was a fast animal that looked more a horse than a modern rhino. The amynodontidae is yet another species of extinct rhinos that were aquatic. They looked like hippos and inhabited rivers and lakes. They even shared many of the same adaptations to aquatic life as hippos.
In Cambodian Khmer art, the Hindu deity Agni is depicted with a rhino as his vehicle or mode of transportation. In South and Southeast Asia, there exist numerous legends about rhinos that protected people from fire. The animal is believed to emerge whenever a fire was lit in the forest and the would stamp it out.
In the wild, adult rhinos have no predators. Young rhinos, however, are preyed upon by big cats and other such opportunistic carnivores. Once a baby rhino survives its early years, it will grow into one of the largest and toughest creatures of the animal kingdom. Male rhino calves leave their mother earlier than females to set out on their own.
The origin of the modern rhino dates back to the age of now extinct mammals. Any animal that has survived for such a long time possesses a long history of anthropological wisdom. As a species, the rhino was capable of making evolutionary decisions that sustained it for the long haul.
Rhino wisdom calls upon us to examine our past carefully. Rhinos must be very wise, indeed, and studying them will help us to discern and understand what’s best for us in order to survive; not just for today and tomorrow but for all posterity.
The Mercantile 