Rhinoceros’s are large mammals. They are one of the one of the largest land mammals on earth! Rhinoceros often called Rhinos for short. The word rhinoceros means nose horn. It comes from the Ancient Greek word rhino which means nose and ceros which means horn.
Rhinos have lived on this planet for millions of years. Some say they kind of look like dinosaurs. Rhino’s are an endangered species. Learn more about these amazing rhinoceros facts for kids
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What is a Rhinoceros?
Rhinoceros are an endangered species, native to Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia. There are 5 different types of Rhinos two African species and two Asian species. The Black Rhino and White Rhinos are native to Africa and the Indian Rhino, Javan Rhino and Sumatran Rhino are native to Southern Asia.
African Rhinoceros
Black Rhinos
Black Rhinoceros are the smallest African species of rhinos. On average they are 5 feet 2 inches tall. They have two horns sometimes three. Black Rhinos live live in African country of Namibia and along the coast of East Africa. A Black Rhino’s habitat is deserts, savannahs and grasslands.
Black Rhinos are endangered. There are around 5,000 Black Rhino’s left in the world. You can tell the difference between a White Rhino and a Black Rhino by their lips. Black Rhino has a hook shape top tip and the White Rhino has a square shaped lip. They eat wood and shrubs.
White Rhino
White Rhinos are the world’s second largest land mammal and the largest species of rhino. The elephant is the largest land mammal. White Rhinos are usually between 5 ft – 6ft tall and weight 6,000 pounds. Their heads along can weight 2,000 pounds. The elephant is the largest land mammal. They are often called Square-Lipped Rhinoceros. This is because they have a square lip.
White Rhinos live in savannahs and grasslands along the coast of East Africa and also in Namibia. White Rhinos aren’t white at all, they are actually gray. They have two front horns. They are also endangered. There are about 17,500 White Rhinos left in the world. White Rhinos eat grass.
Asian Rhinoceros
Indian Rhino
Indian Rhinos are often called the greater one horned Rhinos. This is because it only has one horn. Indian Rhinos usually live along and not in groups like other Rhinos. They live in flood plains of India and Nepal
The IndianRhino is endangered
There are about 2,800 Indian Rhino’s left in the world
Indian Rhinos’ diet consist mostly of grasses, but they will also eat shrubs, tree branches, fruit, and aquatic plants.
Javan Rhino
The Javan Rhino is the most critically endangered. There are less than 60 Javan Rhino’s left in the world. They all live in the Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia. They are between 4 ft 2 inches tall to 5 ft 8 inches tall.
Sumatran Rhino
Sumatran Rhinos the smallest rhino species. They are the only Asian rhino with two horns. Sumatran Rhinos are are critically endangered. There are less than 200 Sumatran Rhino’s left in the world. Sumatran Rhino’s live in tropical forests in Indonesia and Malaysia. Sumatran Rhinos eat plants
What do Rhinos Look Like?
Rhinos sizes vary by species. On average they can grow to be 6ft tall and 11ft long. The have large round shaped bodies with large heads, four short legs and a tail. Rhinos have one, two or on rare occasions three horns in the middle of their heads. Rhino’s have 3 toes on each foot. They are a grey/brown color.
Rhinos have thick skin and have very little body hair.
A rhinos weigh also varies by species. On average rhinos can weigh between 1,700 lobs to over 7,000 pounds. Rhinos do not have good eyesight., but have very good hearing.
Rhino Characteristics
Rhinos are herbivores, meaning they do not eat meat. Rhino eat grass, shrubs, tree branches and some fruit. Rhinos have very sensitive skin. To protect their skin from sun burns and insect bites by rolling around in the mud.
People think rhinos are vicious, this is not true, however they have poor eyesight and get scared easily. Once a rhino is scared it will typically run away and knock everything down in their path. They can get aggressive if they feel threatened.
Male rhinos are often called bulls, females are called cows and babies are called calves.
Rhinos like to live in groups. A group of rhinos is called a herd or crash.
Rhinos are herbivores meaning they are plant eaters and do not eat meat.
They are smart and easily trained. The average life span for a rhino is 35 years
Rhino Horn
A rhino’s horn is made compacted hair called keratin. Human hair and fingernails are also made of keratin. Many Rhinos are poached for their horn. Poached means to kill an animal illegally. It is illegal to kill a rhino.
A Rhino’s horn can be removed safely without killing them, sadly poachers kill them anyway. They use the horns for medications.
Baby Rhinoceros
A rhino grows in its mother’s stomach for 18 months. When a baby rhino is born it is called a calf. When a calf is born the mother rhino will stay by the water. Calves are between 60 and 120 pounds when they are born. Baby rhinos are born without horns. Their horns will start to grow within 5 months.
They will drink milk from their mother for the first 18 months of their live, then they will start to eat plants. Female rhinos will live with their mother for 5-7 years. Males will live with their mother until around 10 years. Lions and hyenas are predators for baby rhinos. Mother rhinos will do anything to protect their babies.
Rhino Fun Facts
Rhinos are large mammals but have small brains. Even though they have small brains, they are smart animals.
They use their poop to communicate with other rhinos
Rhinos can run between 30 and 40 miles per hour
Rhinos have a great sense of smell
Sadly, rhinos are critically endangered. There are a minimal amount living in the wild. Today there are many conservation efforts save these animals to keep these large animals away from extinction.
Rhinoceros Coloring Pages
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