Rhinoceros Pictures
Flying Turtle Zoo
Rhinoceros
Family Tree
They are odd-toed ungulates like horses and tapirs.
Size and Life Expectancy
The largest type of rhino is the White Rhinoceros which can weigh over 6600 pounds (3500 kg). They can be up to fifteen feet (4.5 meters) long and be six and a half feet (2 meters) at the shoulder. The smallest rhino is the Sumatran Rhino. They weigh about 1500 lbs (700 kg). They are about ten feet (3 meters) long and four feet (1.3 meters) tall. Rhinoceroses can live up to 45 years.
Range and Habitat
The Javan rhinoceros lives in Java (Indonesia) and Vietnam, the Sumatran Rhino in Sumatra and Borneo and the Indian Rhino in Nepal and India. The white and black rhinoceroses live in Africa. The Javan Rhino lives in the rainforest. The Sumatran Rhino has the most fur and lives high up in the mountains. The Indian Rhino lives in forests and grassy areas. The white rhino lives on the savannah and the black rhino usually lives in more wooded areas.
Diet
Some rhinoceros species eat grasses and some eat leaves. They are all hindgut fermenters which means that they digest their food with bacteria in the intestine. This is different from say a cow which digests its food in a series of little stomachs that are in front of the main stomach.
Predators
Humans
Extra Fun Facts
Rhinos’ famous horns are actually made of very tightly compacted hair. They have poor eyesight but good senses of smell and hearing. When alarmed they will often charge, running 30 mph (50km/h) and attacking with their horn. To prevent sunburns and protect themselves from insect bites, they often wallow in the mud. Some people believe that rhinos will run and put out fires but this has never been scientifically verified and is generally considered to be a myth. The Javan Rhinoceros is extremely endangered. Only about 60 are left. Rhinos are poached for their horns. In order to prevent poaching some rhinos are dehorned. The horn is removed but the rhinoceros is unharmed.