Reproductive non-seasonality in rhinoceroses: A review of the in-situ literature and birth records of ex-situ institutions

Abstract

Mammals whose breeding activity is triggered by seasonal photoperiodic cues typically maintain seasonal reproduction in zoos, with births accumulating to various degrees in spring. For zoo-kept rhinoceroses, accumulation of births in autumn has been suggested, which would make this group unusual. We compare birthing (and hence conception) patterns of free-ranging rhinoceros populations from the scientific literature with those of the global zoo populations based on birth data available from Species360, to facilitate deductions on the Show more