Do Rhino horns grow continuously? ie - if u cut one off, will it keep growing?

If you cut a rhino's horn off, will it grow back?

Do Rhino horns grow continuously? ie - if u cut one off, will it keep growing?
Rhino "horns" are actually matted hair. And yes, they grow back if you cut them off. Apparently it takes about a year or so to grow back, but sometimes rhinos die from the stress.
Reply:The horns are made of fibrous keratin, but they're not "hair". If it were so easy to make a horn, poachers wouldn't hunt rhinos, they'd just shave them. Report It

Reply:The answer is No. A Rhinos horns are made of fused hairs that take many years to form. Hundreds of rhinos are poached annually for their highly sought after horns. In some parts of the world, particularly the far east, rhino horns are prized and highly sought after. In a effort to save the Rhino, conservationist sometimes surgically remove the horn.
Reply:i beleive you actually have to kill the rhino in order to get to the roots of the horn. i suppose you could try just cutting off the tip, but most poachers feel that it would be stupid to give away such a tremendous opportunity. i doubt that they do grow back though.
Reply:yes, the rino horn is actually hair, but one huge think hair so you could cut it off and it will regrow. that's what they do in afica to keep hunters from killing it just for the horn
Reply:Rhinos horns are made of keratin, same stuff as your fingernails, so they do keep growing at a very slow rate. However the keratin grows around a core of bone (all horns have bone inside), so if you cut the whole thing off the bone cannot grow back. If you can manage to only shave off the keratin, that should grow back just fine. Rhinos can live in captivity without a horn, but may not survive long in the wild without it.





I am going to make a plug here since the topic is up, many rhinos (especially the black rhino of africa) are in danger of becoming extinct because poachers will kill them to cut the horn off to sell on the black market as the sheath to a knife. Its an absolute horror that any species should go extinct for something as stupid as a sheath. Please support rhino conservation programs. Thank you.
Reply:Actually, if you cut it above its root, the rhino will _not_ either bleed or die. The horn is made of keratin fibers, the same substance that makes up our hair and nails. It's dead tissue and does not have blood vessels or nerves, so taking off the horn does not directly affect the animal. And yes, it does grow continuously, but very slowly, and an animal without its horn is probably more vulnerable to predators.


As you probably know, rhinos are hunted for their horn, which is believed to have medicinal properties in some cultures. When hunters kill the rhinos, they cut the horn as close to the body as they can, to get the most of it. That's the reason one sees blood in those pictures. But that's the same that happens when you clip your dog's claws too close to the finger.


I remember some years ago there was a plan for protection of rhinos that consisted on cutting their horns (while anesthesized) and replacing them with brightly colored plastic ones. Supposedly that would stop the illegal hunters but not affect the animals. I have not heard more of it so I guess it didn't work, but some African countries still use "dehorning" (without a replacement horn) to discourage poachers. There is not much information, but this practice could affect the ability of mothers to protect their calf.





See here:


http://www2.canisius.edu/~noonan/cac_rhi...


http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/van_an...





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Update: Rhino horns do _not_ have a bony core. See this illustration


http://www.zoobooks.com/newFrontPage/ani...


or any photograph of a rhinoceros' skull.


http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/johnday/3d/jd...
Reply:no, the rhino will bleed to death and die.
Reply:No, and that is a common practice to stop poaching of rhinos
Reply:their horns ae made of hair. I've not heard of them growing back :(.


They will lose them sometimes when they get into a fight for mating purposes. Sounds worthwhile to me :).



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