Rhinoceros Facts

About the rhinoceros

Five rhino species survive. The black and white rhinos live in Africa, while the Javan, Indian and Sumatran rhinos live in South and Southeast Asia. All of them rank among the largest megafauna left on Earth. Their skin is 1.5 to 5 cm thick, built from layers of collagen arranged in a lattice. Their brains are fairly small for their size, weighing 400 to 600 g.

Rhinos eat leafy plants, and fermenting food in the hindgut lets them get by on tougher, fiber-heavy plants when they must. The two African species have no front teeth and pluck food with their lips. Poachers kill rhinos for their horns, which sell for high prices on the black market, leaving most species endangered.

Did you know?

• The word rhinoceros comes from Ancient Greek for nose-horned.
• The plural of rhinoceros can be rhinoceros or rhinoceroses.
• Demand for rhino horn today comes overwhelmingly from China and Vietnam.