Hello, i'm currently studying Animal Science BSc Honours degree, and for my university study, i must get replies on publics perception on rhino conservation. Please complete https://goo.gl/forms/TQpOdSTCoHXZjrNj2 Thanks in advance!
I have completed the survey, good luck with your degree and the survey. Please note that an early question in your survey on number of rhino species, gives the possible answers as 1,2,3,4 or 5 - yet there are six species of rhinoceros:- black, northern white, southern white, Indian, Javan and Sumatran.
The reassessment by Groves et al. is far from certain: it was based on a controversial interpretation of a controversial species concept (and a potentially damaging one in this case), suffered from limited sample sizes (both in terms of individuals and genetic loci), and has been challenged by subsequent research. Certainly for the sake of this project, I think following the IUCN's five species is perfectly fair. Good luck with your degree @CameronSpade.
Inevitably, not all taxonomists agree (and I know you said Groves was controversial) but I thought it was now generally accepted that the northern and southern white rhinoceros were distinct species, not subspecies, thus making six rhino species in total. The most recent book I own that lists all rhinoceros species:- · Ungulate Taxonomy (Groves and Grubb; 2011) considers the northern and southern whites to be separate species. And the two forms have been isolated for a very long while. Why should considering the two forms separate species be “potentially damaging” ?
Hi Tim. No, the split isn't generally accepted (nor universally rejected). It was proposed in a 2010 paper, but the methods, findings, and assumptions of that paper have all been criticised (including time since divergence). For an open-access update, see: Comparison of whole mitochondrial genome sequences of northern and southern white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum): the conservation consequences of species definitions. As to why the split is potentially damaging, interbreeding subspecies is considered more acceptable than interbreeding full species. I think it's fair to say the only chance for northern (and arguably southern) white rhinos long-term is through admixture. Groves makes that a tougher sell.
Thanks for your speedy response and for providing that very interesting reference. Re the conservation impact of the possible split: my initial reaction was the opposite, in that if it had been accepted earlier that the two forms were distinct species possibly more effort might have been devoted to the conservation of the critically endangered northern white rhino. (As an aside: in another thread, sometime ago, I mentioned that London Zoo was one of the very few zoos that ever had held four rhino species simultaneously (in this instance black, Javan, Indian and Sumatran). Various people pointed out holding four rhino species wasn’t quite as rare as I thought as several places had once had black, northern white, southern white and Indian simultaneously.) Anyway thanks again.
@CameronSpade - probably not a good idea to survey members of this site as most of us, being zoo enthusiasts (and some of us are zookeepers or former keepers), are not typical of 'the public'. As we are more informed on the issues our response will give you a result that is not indicative of the general public (as the discussion above would indicate). Hix
