Rare photos and footage of Javan rhino, one of the world\u2019s rarest animals.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Made from bundles of keratin fibres \u2013 the stuff of hair and fingernails \u2013 bound together with glandular secretions, horns have served rhinos well in the evolutionary arms race with their predators.<\/p>\n
But since humans started seeking them out to fashion high-status trinkets and for use in traditional eastern medicine, they have become a liability.<\/p>\n
Hunting has caused declines not only in rhino numbers.<\/p>\n
Historical photographs reveal that all five species are now evolving shorter horns as the best-endowed specimens are removed from the gene pool.<\/p>\n
Main image: Black rhinos are Critically Endangered. \u00a9\u00a0Martin Harvey\/Getty <\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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