Centuries of illustrations and photographic images suggest intensive hunting and poaching have altered the appearance of rhinos.
When researchers analyzed the relative horn length of rhinos depicted in thousands of images from the sixteenth century onwards, they found the horn-to-body length ratio is decreasing in all five rhino species.
The authors suspect that over time, humans have been killing rhinos with the largest horns, creating a selective pressure against more prominent outgrowths.In some African elephants, human demand for ivory has created a similar pressure,at higher frequencies than in the past. In both Africa and Asia, heavy poaching appears to be shrinking elephant tusks.
While a shorter tusk or horn might help protect an elephant or rhino from a poacher, these shrunken appendages are probably not as useful as longer ones. "Rhinos evolved their horns for a reason – different species use them in different ways such as helping to grasp food or to defend against predators – so we think that having smaller horns will be detrimental to their survival,"
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