Discover inside rhino horn

Rhino horns have many special shapes so long people have been weaving many stories around them. Some cultures claim that they are disembodied by witches and physicians. Many peoples use rhino horn to make hilt and amulets.

The horns of most animals are made up of a thin layer of keratin (the substance that makes up human hair and nails) that covers a bone core. However, rhino horns are unique because they do not have bone cores but only keratin. Scientists have spent so much effort explaining this difference.

In Oriental medicine, rhino horn is a precious medicine.Chinese medicine has recorded more than 70 articles of antidote for detoxification, sedation, analgesia, etc., which are components of rhino horn.Today, rhino horn is also thought to be effective in coordinating the treatment of incurable diseases such as leukemia, Japanese encephalitis and other infections.

To lift the mysterious fog around the rhino horn, a team of Ohio University experts examined the heads of some rhinos that died of natural causes. They took a picture of the horns and found them inside with layers of solid minerals made up of calcium and melanin.

Calcium layers make the core of the horn become stronger and stronger, while the melanin layer keeps the core from being porous by the action of ultraviolet rays from the sun. The outer part of the horn is softer so it is more vulnerable to sun exposure. Consequently, the horn is eroded into special shapes after fighting and grinding on the ground. Rhino horn has a structure similar to a pencil - with a lead core in the middle and a weaker wood layer on the outside. This structure allows rhinos with sharp horns.

The study also ended speculation that rhino horn is a collection of thousands of hairs. " Rhino horns are completely independent of feathers, like horseshoes, tortoise shells and bird beaks ," said biochemist Tobin Hieronymus, lead researcher.

Tobin has yet to find the effect of temperature, diet and stress on the development of melanin and calcium layers inside rhino horn. But he said that if those mysteries were found, the scientists would find reasonable measures to reduce rhino hunting, because most rhinos were killed because of their horns.

Pair of rhino horns.(Photo: Photostuff)