Rhinoceroses (or rhinos) were depicted in cave paintings, and at the beginning of the 20th century there were around 500,000 living in the wild.
By 1970 this number had dropped to 70,000 and today there are around just 27,000 rhinos in the wild.
Poaching and habitat loss has seen rhino numbers drop dramatically in the past 55 years.
Rhinos are often referred to as one of the last remaining ‘megafauna’, a term simply meaning large animal. Adult rhinos weigh over half a tonne.
How many species of rhino are there?
There are five species of rhino:
Black rhino
Native to East and Southern Africa, the black rhino is critically endangered.
White rhino
Includes two subspecies, southern white rhino and northern white rhino. The northern subspecies is critically endangered and on the brink of extinction.
Greater one-horned rhino
Also known as the Indian rhinoceros, it is found in the Indian subcontinent and is listed as vulnerable.
Sumatran rhino
Mostly solitary, the Sumatran rhino is critically endangered. Read more about why.
Javan rhino
Critically endangered, the Javan rhino is critically endangered and is the rarest of all rhinoceros.
White rhino by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75789844
Are rhinos aggressive?
Whilst they may seem aggressive or bad-tempered, often this behaviour is due to being disturbed or bothered. They’re territorial and mostly live solitary lives.
Rhinos also have terrible eyesight and so may charge randomly or suddenly.
How long do rhinos live?
Rhinos can live for anywhere between 30 and 50 years. A rhino pregnancy lasts 15-16 months.
Do rhino horns grow back?
Like a hoof or hair, rhino horns can grow back. The younger the rhino the quicker this will happen, but generally it takes about 18 months to two years.
Rhino horns are a big target for poachers, due to belief in it’s medicinal properties and it being a status and wealth symbol.
To prevent this from happening some conservationists actively dehorn rhinos to make the animals less of a target. A 2024 study found that removing rhino horns reduced poaching by 80% between 2017 and 2023.
It’s not an uncomplicated moral action but ultimately stops the rhino from being killed or attacked for its horn. However, another study of black rhinos found that dehorned animals became more timid and covered smaller ranges.
Can rhinos swim?
Swimming skills in rhinos vary by species. Black and white rhinos – who live in Africa – are not good swimmers, whilst other species of rhino that live in Asia are stronger swimmers.
All species of rhino, however, enjoy wallowing in mud to cool down.
Black rhino by AfricanConservation – Own work, from Working with Wildlife, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=144204698
How many hours do rhino sleep?
Rhinos sleep for up to 8 hours, spread out across naps, a doze and sleeping at night. They can even sleep standing up or lying down.
What do rhinos eat?
Rhinos are herbivores, generally eating leaves. However, they also have the ability to ferment food in their large intestine meaning that if they eat more fibrous plants their bodies can break it down.
Learn even more about rhinos in The Robot Zoo! Featuring larger-than-life animals innovatively recreated using machine parts and gadgets to show how their real life counterparts see, eat, hunt and hide.