Rhinoceros, often abbreviated as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to Southern Asia.
Fast Facts about Rhinoceros
1. The five living species of rhinoceros are white, black, greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran. Some have two horns, while others have one.
2. The word rhinoceros is a combination of two Greek words – rhino (nose) and ceros (horn).
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3. The white rhino is the largest rhino species and can weigh over 3500 kg (7700 lb) and is the largest land mammal after the elephant. Elephants can grow to be 7,000 kg (15,000 lb)
4. Rhinos can grow to over 6 feet tall and more than 11 feet in length. Yeah, as tall as a grown man!
5. Relative to their large body size, rhinoceros have small brains.
6. Rhinoceros are herbivores (plant eaters). Since it needs to drink once a day, the rhino stays within 5km of water. In very dry conditions, it can dig for water using its forefeet
7. White rhinos aren’t white and black rhinos aren’t black. The white rhino’s name is taken from the Afrikaans word “wyd,” which means “wide” and describes its mouth. Early English settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the “wyd” for “white“. Black rhinos probably got their name from the dark wet mud in their wallows that made them appear black in colour. Both species are essentially gray in colour.
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8. An adult rhino’s skin can be as much as 5 cm (2 inches) thick, with typical range of thickness across species being 1.5-5 cm thick.
9. They mate at any time of the year. The male rhino has a breeding ritual to attract a female. He will brush his horn over the ground, charge at bushes, rushes back and forth and frequently sprays urine. The females are known to reject the males aggressively at first until she succumbs.
10. The lifespan of the white rhino is 40-50 years while the black rhino can live between 35-50 years.
