Five living species of huge, thick-skinned plant-eaters, two in Africa and three in South and Southeast Asia. All weigh over half a tonne, and most are endangered because poachers kill them for their horns.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?Yes
Black rhinos charge readily at anything they see as a threat, and some charges injure or kill people.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAfrica, Asia
HabitatGrassland, Scrub, Wetland
ColoursGrey
SizeHuge
Length3.35–3.77 m, head and body (white rhino)
Weight1,000–3,600 kg (white rhino)
Legs4
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for35–50 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Africa (black and white rhinos) and South and Southeast Asia (Indian, Javan and Sumatran rhinos).
- What it eats
- Plants. The white rhino grazes on grass, the black rhino browses leafy shrubs, and the Sumatran and Javan rhinos do both.
Did you know
The horn is keratin — the same stuff as your fingernails.
The two African species have no front teeth. They pluck their food with their lips.
Often confused with
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