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Brad Batdorf
Brad Batdorf Curator of Education at the Sedgwick County Zoo since the fall of 1993. His responsibilities include all educational activities of the Zoo, ranging from programs for toddlers to teacher workshops for graduate level college credit. Brad is an adjunct professor for Friends University, teaching the introductory course in the cooperative Zoo Science degree program. Prior to coming to KS, Brad worked as Director of Education at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, SC. Brad's degrees include an M.A.Ed. in Biology from the Citadel in Charleston, SC. Brad can be reached at (316) 942-2212 ext. 214 or e-mail: bbatdorf@scz.org
Animals, Reptiles & Insects
2003-03-01 11:43:00
Rhino horns made of hair?
ANSWER:  A rhino's horn is composed of matted fibers of a protein material called keratin. If you look closely at a horn, you can often see the frayed fibers where the horn is worn. Keratin is the main chemical compound that makes up our fingernails, hair, and even the outer layers of our skin. A cow's horn is covered with a sheet of this keratin, but has an internal core of bone. After the cow is dead and the horn is removed, it is hollow, tapering to the tip. That's why the old cow horns were capped on the wide end and used to hold gunpowder for muzzle-loading rifles. The tusk of an elephant, on the other hand, is a special tooth that continues to grow. It is solid and made mainly of calcium like your bones and teeth, but does not have the durable layer of enamel that keeps your teeth from wearing down too quickly. Because elephants use their tusks for so many things, they wear down at the tips and must continue to grow.While three species of rhinos are still found in Asia, most people are more familiar with the two rhinos of Africa, the black and the white. Black rhinos have a pointed lip which is very handy for stripping leaves from tree branches and bushes, their preferred food. White rhinos have a broad, squared lip that enables them to crop grasses close to the ground, just like a cow.
 
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