Scientists believe the shrinking is due excessive hunting for the very in-demand and valuable horns
Due to their value, studying real rhino horns require strict security protocols. Studying these photographs enabled the team to measure horn length over a long period of time without ever needing to see a real one.
“We were really excited that we could find evidence from photographs that rhino horns have become shorter over time. They’re probably one of the hardest things to work on in natural history because of the security concerns,” Oscar Wilson, formerly a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology, first author of the report,saidRhinos use their horns for defense, and previous studies have shown thaton the animals.
“We found that we can use images from the last few centuries to visualize how human attitudes towards wildlife have changed, and how artists have influenced these views,” Ed Turner an associate professor in the Zoology department at Cambridge and the senior author of the report, saidA significant number of the photographs in the collection from the late 19th and early 20th century show rhinos shot by hunters.
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