Rhino

Rhino is one of the BIG FIVE Animal of Africa

** There five species of rhinoceros – the black rhino, the white rhino, which live in Africa, and the Sumatran, Javan and Indian (or greater one-horned) rhino, which inhabit the tropical forests and swamps of Asia.

** These brilliant beasts are known for their awesome, giant horns that grow from their snouts – hence the name “rhinoceros’, meaning “nose horn”. Javan and Indian rhinos have one horn, where as the white, black and Sumatran rhinos have two.

** These incredible creatures are some of the biggest animals in world. Height is approx 6 ft and and weigh a massive 2,500 kg.

** Despite their huge size and strength, these bulky beasts are herbivores, and instead like to munch on lots of grass and plants at night, dawn and dusk.

** During the heat of the day, these magnificent mammals can be found sleeping in the shade or wallowing in muddy pools to cool off. They love to get mucky, in fact! Mud protects their skin from the strong sun (like a natural sunblock) and wards off biting bugs, too.

** For the most part, rhinoceroses are solitary animals and like to avoid each other. But some species, particularly the white rhino, may live in a group, known as a ‘crash’. These crashes are usually made up of a female and her calves, although sometimes adult females can be seen together, too.

** Males Rhino, on the other hand, like to be left alone, unless in search of a female to breed with. They’re very territorial, too, and mark out their area of land with, believe it or not, poop! In fact, rhinos often use pongy piles to communicate with each other, since each individual’s dung smells unique.

** They may rarely hang out with each other, but they spend a lot of time with their feathered friends! Rhinos are often seen with Oxpeckers (or ‘tick birds’) perched on their back, which live off the pesky parasitic insects living in the rhino’s thick skin. The birds’ loud cries also help alert their big buddies of potential danger, too!

** Because of their huge bodies, strong horns and thick, armour-like skin, rhinos have no natural predators.

** Sadly, it’s estimated that there are only around 29,000 rhinos left in the wild, compared to 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century. The main threat to these beautiful animals is illegal hunting