What protein makes up the formidable horns of the white rhinoceros?
Answer
Keratin
The impressive twin horns possessed by the white rhinoceros are not composed of bone material. Instead, they are constructed entirely of keratin, which is the very same fibrous structural protein that forms human hair and fingernails. The front horn is typically the longest and most substantial of the pair, sometimes developing to lengths exceeding three feet in exceptional specimens. This composition is biologically significant because it means the horns can regrow, though poaching pressures are far too high for this biological reality to mitigate immediate threats.
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