Rhinos

Rhinos are big mammals that can be found living in Africa and Asia. There are five species which are then divided into subspecies. The five species are Black Rhinos and White Rhinos, which live in Africa. And Sumatran Rhinos, Greater One Horned Rhinos and Javan Rhinos, which live in Asia.

Rhinos are big creatures that walk quite low to the ground on four solid legs. They have thick armour like skin, which is brown or dark grey in colour. They are often covered in mud as they roll around in it to protect their skin from the sun and from insects that try to bite them. They are about one and a half metres tall and weigh a lot! Their most obvious feature are their horns, which are made of keratin (the same stuff our hair and nails are made up from). Their horns continue to grow as they get older. Some rhino species have one horn, and some have two. Their full name is Rhinoceros which means nose horn.

While all the species look quite similar, there are differences that help you tell them apart. For example White Rhinos have a wide flat mouth that helps them graze grass really well, but Black Rhinos have a much pointer mouth which helps them eat their preferred food, which is leaves from plants.

White Rhino

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Black Rhino

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Many species of rhino are in very real danger of becoming extinct. Sadly some subspecies are already extinct or not far from it.

There are three subspecies of Black Rhino alive today, although they are all critically endangered. These are the Eastern Black Rhino, the Southern Central Black Rhino, and the South Western Black Rhino. A fourth subspecies, the Western Black Rhino, became extinct in 2011.

The White Rhino has two subspecies. The Southern White Rhino, which is the only subspecies that isn’t endangered. The other subspecies, the Northern White Rhino is effectively extinct in the wild. Tragically there are only two female Northern White Rhinos left.

There are three subspecies of the Sumatran Rhinos. The Western Sumatran Rhino and the Bornean Rhino which are both critically endangered. The third subspecies, the Northern Sumatran rhino is thought to be extinct.

The Greater One Horned Rhinos are vulnerable to becoming endangered but their numbers have recently increased. Javan Rhinos are like many rhinos, critically endangered.

Rhinos are incredibly endangered and becoming extinct because sadly they are killed by humans who want their horns.

Sumatran Rhino

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Javan Rhino

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Greater One Horned Rhino

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Male rhinos are called a bull, female rhinos are called a cow, baby rhinos are called calves. Male rhinos usually live on their own, while some female rhinos prefer to live alongside other rhinos and their babies in a group called a crash! Calves are looked after really well and stay with their mother for many years.

Rhinos are herbivores and like to eat grass and leaves. Different species eat slightly different things.

They can run about 30 to 40 mph which is quite fast for such a heavy creature and will charge at anything or anyone they feel threatened by. In the wild they can live to about 30 to 45 years old and are lucky to have no natural predators (although humans have ruined this advantage sadly).