A pair of Southern White Rhinos

Rhinoceros

Touting their horns
Type
giant panda

Mammals

Area
Map of Africa
Africa
Endangered Status

Some Endangered

facts

size
5 to 13 feet
length, depending on species
The average bed is 6.25 feet long.
Southern white rhino compared to the size of a bed
food
plants
grasses, leaves
plants
habitat
grassland,
rainforest
grassland habitat

description

Southern white rhino close-up of two horns

What's in a name?

Rhinoceroses get their name from their most famous feature: their horns. The word rhinoceros comes from the Greek rhino (nose) and ceros (horn).

Rhinoceros bellow
rhino taking a mud bath

Sensitive skin

Rhinos may look tough, but their skin is actually quite sensitive. They can sunburn, and biting insects "bug" them. That's why they like to wallow in mud—it puts a layer between their skin and the sun and insects!

Indian Rhino mother and calf

Know your rhinos

There are 5 types of rhinos: black, white, Sumatran, Javan, and Indian. Javan and Indian rhinos have only 1 horn.

Three Southern white rhinos

Sumatran, black, and white rhinos have 2. Rhinos are often hunted for their horns, which are falsely believed in some cultures to have medicinal uses.

Rhinos are native to eastern and southern Africa, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Quiz

Rhino horn is made up of:
Calcium-rich bone
A special protein called keratin