Here are our top 10 facts about rhinos (2024)

1. There are 5 species of rhino in the world

2. Rhinos can weigh over 3 tonnes

Sumatran rhinos are the smallest of all rhinos, but they can still weigh 600kg (that’s almost 95 stone). On the other hand, white rhinos are the largest of the rhino species, weighing up to 3,500 kg. That is more than 550 stones, or well over 3 tonnes, which is mighty impressive considering they mainly eat grass and leaves.

3. Black and white rhinos are both, in fact, grey

The names of black and white rhinos are misleading – as both areactually grey.The white rhino is said to have gotten its name from the Afrikaans word for wide (‘wyd’), referring to its wide,square lip(in contrast, black rhinos have a pointy upper lip). Early English explorers mistook this word for ‘white’ and consequently named this species ‘white’ rhino, and the other ‘black’ rhino to differentiate.

4. They’re called bulls and cows

Male rhinos are called 'bulls' and females are called 'cows'.Their young are ‘calves’.

Females tend to be more sociable than the more solitary, territorial males.Together, a group of rhinos is called a ‘crash’.

5. WHAT ARE RHINO HORNS MADE OF? THE SAME STUFF AS OUR FINGERNAILS

Rhino horn is made up of keratin - the same protein which forms the basis of our hair and nails.

Javan andgreater one-horned rhinosonly haveone horn,whereas alltheother rhino species have two horns.Theirhorns grow continuouslyduring their lifetime–the white rhino's horn can grow 7cmeveryyear– andthe record length is 150cm long!

6. Rhinos have poor vision

Rhinos’eyesight isn’t great – they’reunable to see a motionless person ata distance of30m–they mainly rely on their strong sense of smell.

7. Javan rhinos are only found in one small place

Ujung Kulon National Park – a World Heritage Site – is home to the last remainingwild Javan rhinos on Earth.

But this is a precarious place to live.An active volcano is just 50km away. And a tsunami as high as 10m – which is projected to occur within the next 100 years – could threaten 80% of therhinos’territoryin Ujung Kulon National Park.

That's why establishing a safe site for another population of Javan rhinos in Indonesia is a priority.

8. They communicate through honks, sneezes…and poo

Rhinos make an array of funny noises when they’re communicating.

During confrontations,theygrowl and make 'trumpet calls'. Black rhinos snort whenthey’reangry,make sneeze-like calls as alarms,scream ifthey’re scared and ‘mmwonk'when relaxed. 

Rhinosalso communicate through their poo and urine. When rhinopoo in the same place as other rhinos – an area known as a latrine – they can smell the poo and urine of otherindividuals, andknow who's in the area.

9. They love mud

Rhinos can often be seen rollingaround inmud, giving themselves a protective'mudcoat’tokeep themcool, stop insects biting and get rid of any parasites.

Asian rhinos arealso excellent swimmers,crossingrivers with ease. But their African relatives are very poor swimmers and can drown in deep water– so they stick to wallowing in mud for a cool-down.

10. Rhinos are under threat

Over 7,100 African rhinos have been killed by poaching in the last 10 years – that’s around 2 every day.Poaching gangs are becoming increasingly sophisticated. In some cases,usinghelicopters to track the rhinos, and once the animals are shot with guns ortranquilisingdarts, their horns are removed using chainsaws, and quickly airlifted away. The whole operation can take as little as 10 minutes, and if the rhino isn't already dead, it will often bleed to death.

Ground rhino horn is used in traditional Asian medicineto ‘cure’ a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers. Andthehorn isseen as a status symbol, particularly in Vietnam.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are an increasing threat to rhinos, as human populationsand infrastructuregrows,encroachingon rhino habitat.