This article is transferred from: Nature lovers
(Image from the Internet)
You must have heard the legend of the unicorn, a creature in European mythology that resembles a white horse with a spiral horn on its forehead and a healing power, symbolizing nobility, pride and purity. So are unicorns imagined by humans? Does it have a prototype in reality? There are very few unicorn creatures in the world, and today Xiaobian will introduce you to several real "unicorns" (and unicorns......... That's it
The horns are called ducks
The name of the horned duck (scientific name: Anhima cornuta) should be pronounced as follows: horn, called duck, that is, it is a horned duck family. The horned duck is the largest of the duckling family, with a body length of about 90 cm and wings spread 1 meter 7, which may be taller than you (but not as tall ( ́ ▽ ' )ノ as a small editor). They are endemic to South America, ranging from Colombia to the Andes in northern Argentina, but mainly at low altitudes, often in tropical rainforests, swamps, and meadows near rivers.
The horned duck is quite recognizable, except for the large voice of the duck family, the most prominent feature is that it has a long thorn-like horn on the head, similar to an antenna. This horn is indeed a keratinized structure, loosely attached to the skull, rather than strangely shaped feathers or anything, unique among birds. It is a weapon used in fights when the horned duck fights for territory, but as it seems, it is not very durable, and it is often folded when it is beaten. Fortunately, this thing will continue to grow, and soon it will grow new ones.
narwhal
this...... Isn't this really a whale on a stick? The horned whale (scientific name: Monodon monoceros) belongs to the suborder Dental whale, a family of its own, generally 4 to 5 meters in length (excluding tusks), and males are slightly longer than females. The average weight is 800 to 1600 kg. The whale has no dorsal fin, a white belly, and many dark brown or black spots on its back, which become whiter as we age. They are mainly distributed in the Waters of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, mostly in the bays of northern Canada and western Greenland.
A horned whale may actually be more appropriately called a "one-tooth whale". Because its "horn" looks like a horn on the surface, it is actually a ... bucktooth. Almost always grows out of the left upper jaw, protruding from the lip and spiraling counterclockwise from the root. The length can reach 2 to 3 meters, the circumference of the base can reach 30 centimeters, and the weight can reach 10 kilograms, but most of them are hollow and fragile. Adult tusks are snow-white at the ends, usually smoothly ground, covered with sensitive nerve endings, and are important organs of perception. The tusks are generally males, and about 3% of females develop a slender horn, rarely exceeding 1.2 meters in length.
Male whales sometimes fight each other with their tusks, making a sound like two sticks hitting each other. Young males often play and fight, but they are so far that they are rarely injured; older males fight more intensely, after all, it is about the happiness of whales, and the strongest males, usually the longest and thickest with their teeth, can mate with more females. In addition to perception and fighting, the role of teeth is also a symbol of family status, and the longer and thicker the teeth of the narwhal, the higher its status in the whale population. But in general, a horned whale is a smart and gentle animal, and does not deliberately poke other animals with its teeth.
One-horned rhinoceros
The unicorn rhinoceros is also a genus of unicorn rhinos, including indian rhinoceros and Javan rhinoceros.
The Indian rhinoceros (scientific name Rhinoceros unicornis), also known as the Great One-Horned Rhinoceros, is the largest of all rhinos in existence, with a body length of 3.5-3.9 meters, a shoulder height of 1.65-2.05 meters, and a weight of up to 3000 kg. It is currently found mainly in Nepal and India, inhabiting grasslands, forests and the Himalayas.
Indian rhinos have only one horn on their nose and are no longer than 30 cm long. The skin was thick, with several layers of folds, like pieces of armor. The Indian rhino is extremely powerful, running up to 55 kilometers per hour and is good at swimming. Indian rhinos have poor eyesight, but their sense of hearing and smell is extremely sensitive. He is short-tempered and has a record of biting and killing his own kind and actively injuring people.
The Javan rhinoceros (scientific name Rhinoceros sondaicus) is now found only on the Indonesian island of Java. They are close relatives of the Indian rhinoceros and were once considered the same species because of their similar appearance. In fact, the Javan rhino is smaller than the Indian rhinoceros, with a total length of 2.5-3.5 meters, a shoulder height of 1.6 meters, and an average weight of 1500 kg; its horns are also relatively smaller, with horns less than 20 centimeters; the skin is gray, thickly folded but smoother than the Indian rhinoceros, except for hard hairs on the ears and tail ends, the whole body is hairless.
Like all of their rhinoceros counterparts, human hunting and habitat destruction have put them at risk. Once widely distributed in Asia, today there are only 3,200 Indian rhinos in the world, javanese rhinos are even worse, two of the three subspecies have become extinct, and only 50 to 60 remain indonesian subspecies remain, which are artificially raised in the national parks of Java, becoming one of the most endangered species in the world.
After watching for half a day, none of them seemed to be like the legendary unicorn... But they are still miracles created by nature, and if humans continue to kill animals indiscriminately, perhaps one day these little creatures can only appear in future legends. So take action now and protect them together
Note: The pictures in this article are all from the source network, if infringing, please contact to delete.
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