November 4th 2001
Subject: i must be a rhino
‘wallowing is an important part of a rhino’s daily routine’ (see below)
i do seem to have developed my capacity for sweating, but it’s extemely uncomfortable. when i sweat, it’s in copious, dehydrating amounts & if i let it dry on my skin i develop little fungus rings all over my skin -ewwwwwww…
i owe some of y’all some personal replies, i know. been going a little nuts here (tell us something new, d!)
i was flying to barcelona on th 25th of october, then on hallowe’en, then on th 10th of november. now i have a reservation to fly into amsterdam on sunday th 18th, returning on th day after april fools’. iberia. stopover in santo domingo. four-hour layover in madrid. pooling all kind of frequent flyer miles & bonus points for a biz-class ticket. maybe i’ll fly into frankfurt on christmas eve. stay tuned. love, d=(8{>
Do you know?…
Black Rhinos
Why do rhinos wallow in the mud?
You’re right!
The correct answer is to keep cool. Because rhinos can’t sweat, they need to wallow in mud as a means of keeping cool. Mud is an excellent way of accelerating heat loss, taking over an hour to dry, and absorbing heat from the body in the process. And mud has therapeutic properties that maintain the skin supple and healthy. A thick coating of mud also protects rhinos from bloodsucking flies, and ticks and lice tend to fall off with the mud when it dries. Wallowing is an important part of the rhino’s daily routine!
Learn more about African and Asian rhinos in the WWF rhino pages.
Learn how to avoid buying illegal wildlife souvineers, including ones made from rhino horn in our Buyer Beware section.
Discover Africa, the last wild continent and home to rhinos, elephants and other splendid wildlife on the WWF Tanzania and Kenya Classic Wildlife Safari